For the Birds: The Ubiquitous Song Sparrow

By Christine Southwick

A discussion of yard birds wouldn’t be complete without including Song Sparrows.

Song Sparrow. Photo by Christine Southwick.

If you have native plants or feeders, and dense shrubs, brush, or Himalayan blackberry, even if just along the edges of your yard, you undoubtedly have song sparrows. Considered habitat generalists, about the only place you won’t find them here is within forests.

Song Sparrows belong to the sparrow family, and because of similarities of first-glance-coloring are often called “Little Brown Jobs” [LBJ’s]. Song sparrows have one of the largest group of subspecies—29 sub-species are recognized. Here in the Puget Sound though, we have the well-known dark form which is a year-round resident below 4,000 ft. During the winter, a smaller, paler sub-species migrates down from interior British Columbia.

Song Sparrow feeding Cowbird. 

Photo by Christine Southwick.

Our Song Sparrows are large chunky dark sparrows, with a long tail that they pump both while eating, and while flying low from one shrub to the next cover. Their head is streaked with rich browns and grays between, with a distinct eye line running from the bill to its shoulders. The back and sides are also streaked.

Song Sparrows were named after their song, which they learn from listening to neighbor birds. Here in the Puget Sound area they often sing all year long. Males sing to proclaim their territory, and to attract a mate. Females have been known to occasionally sing.

Because they stay low to the ground, both for eating insects and seeds, and for nesting, cats are their main predators, followed by hawks, owls, coyotes, and dogs. 

Cowbirds are known to lay eggs in the nests of Song Sparrows, with the result that not all of the Song Sparrow’s 3-5 young will fledge. 

Song Sparrow on alert.

Photo by Christine Southwick.

Fortunately, Song Sparrows usually have two-three broods a year. If you have a breeding pair that bring their young to the feeders or bird baths, perhaps you will be treated to the hilarious sight of a fledgling Song Sparrow without tail feathers trying to fly , bottom heavy, from one shrub to another. It gives the expression “low rider” a new meaning.

Song Sparrows are often ignored in the same way as robins. Everyone sees them, and because they are so common, people just say, “Oh, it’s a robin.” or “Oh, it’s a song sparrow.” And then they continue to look for other birds.

Once you start watching and listening to Song Sparrows you’ll realize that they are a real treasure, especially when the male is up on a branch singing with all his heart.

Christine Southwick is on the Board of the Puget Sound Bird Observatory and is their Winter Urban Color-banding Project Manager. She is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat Steward, having completed their forty hour class. We're happy that she's sharing her expertise with us about the birds in our backyards.