| SONG SPARROW Melospiza melodia |
| Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) Song Sparrow Length: 5 - 7" Habitat: Brushy edges of streams and ponds, forest edges, shrubby marsh edges, hedgerows, thickets, brushy fields, roadsides, residential areas. Favors moist, brushy habitat. Diet: Insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars; spiders, weed seeds and grass seeds, wild fruits and berries. Birds in coastal areas may eat crustaceans and small mollusks. |
In some bird species the male helps in nest building, but that is not so among Song Sparrows; the female alone builds the final nest, though sometimes the male is spotted carrying nesting material about. We say "final nest," because several nests may be begun and abandoned before the last one is finished. Probably this serves two purposes: building the early nests provides practice building the early nests provides practice when a predator such as a snake or a skunk enters the territory, maybe they will be distracted by the unused nests Song Sparrows build low nests; they may be actually on the ground, to as high as about four feet up in dense shrubs or high weeds. The nests consist mostly of grass blades interwoven with a few leaves and tough fibers. When the nest is finished, the female begins laying one egg per day until her clutch, or nest of eggs, is complete -- typically with three to six eggs. The eggs are greenish-white and heavily speckled or blotched with reddish brown. In some bird species the male helps in incubation, or even does it himself entirely, but, again, not among Song Sparrows; the female does all the incubation. At least during this period the male stops his pouncing. |
|
| IMAGES BY GEORGE W. BOWLES, SR |
 |
| Background photography by George W. Bowles, Sr. |
 |
| ALL THE TIME |
