BIRDS USEFUL TO FARM AND ORCHARD 



633 



Bange 



Breeds in the United States (except 

 the South Atlantic and Gulf states), 

 Southern Canada, Southern Alaslia, and 

 Mexico; winters in Alaska and most of 

 the United States southward. 



Habits and Ecouomic Status 



Like the familiar little "chippy," the 

 song sparrow is one of our most domestic 

 species, and builds its nest in hedges or 

 in garden shrubbery close to houses, 

 whenever it is reasonably safe from the 

 house cat. which, however, takes heavy 

 toll of the nestlings. It is a true har- 

 binger of spring, and its delightful little 

 song is thrilled forth from the top of 

 some green shrub in early March and 

 April, before most of our other songsters 

 bave thought of leaving the sunny South. 

 Song sparrows vary much in habits, as 

 well as in size and coloration. Some 

 forms live along streams bordered by 

 deserts, others 'U swamps among bul- 

 rushes and tules, others in timbered reg- 

 ions, othei's on rocky barren hillsides, and 

 still others in rich, fertile valleys. With 

 such a variety of habitat, the food of the 

 species naturally varies considerably. 

 About three-fourths of its diet consists 

 of the seeds of noxious weeds and one- 

 fourth of insects. Of these, beetles, espe- 

 cially weevils, constitute the major por- 

 tion. Ants, wasps, bugs (including the 

 black olive scale), and caterpillars are 

 also eaten. Grasshoppers are taken by 

 the Eastern birds, but not by the West- 

 ern ones. 



Cbipping Sparrow 

 Spizella pa.ssej-i)ia 



Length, about five and one-fourth 

 inches. Distinguished by the chestnut 

 crown, black line through eye. and black 

 bill. 



Ran^e 



Breeds throughout the United States, 

 south to Nicaragua, and north to South- 

 ern Canada: winters in the Southern 

 United States and southward. 



Habits and Eronomic Status 



The chipping sparrow is very friendly 

 and domestic, and often builds its nest 

 in gardens and orchards or in the shrub- 

 bery close to dwellings. Its gentle and 



confiding ways endear it to all bird 

 lovers. It is one of the most insectivor- 

 ous of all the sparrows. Its diet consists 

 of about 42 per cent of insects and 

 spiders and 58 per cent of vegetable mat- 

 ter. The animal food consists largely of 

 caterpillars, of which it feeds a great 

 many to its young. Besides these, it eats 

 beetles, including many weevils, of 

 which one stomach contained 30. It also 

 eats ants, wasps, and bugs. Among the 

 latter are plant lice and black olive 

 scales. The vegetable food is practically 

 all weed seed. A nest with four young 

 of this species was watched at different 

 hours on four days. In the seven hours 

 of observation 119 feedings were noted, 

 or an average of 17 feedings per hour, or 

 four and one-half feedings per hour to 

 each nestling. This would give for a day 

 of 14 hours at least 238 Insects eaten by 

 the brood. 



White-Crowned Sparrow 



Zonotrichia leucophrys 

 Length, seven inches. The only similar 

 sparrow, the white-throat, has a yellow 

 spot in front of eye. 



Bange 



Breeds in Canada, the mountains of 

 New Mexico, Colorado. Wyoming and 

 Montana, and thence to the Pacific coast; 

 winters in the southern half of the 

 United States and Northei'n Mexico. 



Habits and Economic Status 



This beautiful sparrow is much more 

 numerous in the Western than in the 

 Eastern states, where, indeed, it is rather 

 rare. In the East it is shy and retiring, 

 but it is much bolder and more conspicu- 

 ous in the far West and there often fre- 

 quents gardens and parks. Like most of 

 its family it is a seed eater by preference, 

 and insects comprise very little more 

 than seven per cent of its diet. Cater- 

 pillars are the largest item, with some 

 beetles, a few ants and wasps, and some 

 bugs, among which are black olive scales. 

 The great bulk of the food, however, 

 consists of weed seeds, which amount to 

 74 per cent of the whole. In California 

 this bird is accused of eating the buds 

 and blossoms of fruit trees, but buds or 

 blossoms were found in only 30 out of 



