WESTERN BIRDS Sparrow 



GENUS PASSERCULUS: SAVANNAH 

 SPARROW. 



Savannah Sparrow: Passerculus sandwichensis 

 savanna. 



FAMILY— FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



In the Savannah Sparrow we have one of those mad- 

 dening striped brown birds that might be any one of half 

 a dozen species, the pale yellow spot in front of the eye 

 and on the band of the wing being helpful markings. 

 The white breast is thickly marked with brown, which 

 is sometimes merged into a spot like the Song Sparrow, 

 which is about the same size. However, the tail of the 

 Savannah is short and notched, rather than long and 

 rounded. 



The bird is a dweller of the meadow, or savanna, often 

 frequenting portions of the sea coast, but is also found 

 in fertile valleys, upland meadows and pastures. 



They breed in the far north and south to northern 

 Iowa (casually Missouri), northern Indiana, mountains 

 of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Long Island, and 

 casually in southern New Jersey, wintering from south- 

 ern Indiana and New Jersey, south to southeastern 

 Mexico, the Gulf Coast, and the Bermudas. 



It is a ground bird, seldom mounting higher than a 

 weed stalk or post, where it pours forth its weak little 

 song, which is a grasshopper-like trill, given by Dr. 

 Jonathan Dwight as tsip-tsip-tsip, se e-e-s, r-r-r. 



Breeding on the Pacific Coast north of California to 

 the western border of the Great Plains, wintering 

 throughout California, and south, is found the Western 

 Savannah Sparrow, which is fully as inconspicuous and 

 nondescript as his eastern cousin. You may look for him 

 in prairie grass, weed patches, or meadows and if you 



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