LeConte's sparrow (''Ammospiza leconteii''), also known as ''LeConte's bunting'',
is one of the smallest
New World sparrow
New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns.
Although they share th ...
species in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
.
[Terres, J.K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York: Alfred A. Knopf]
Description
LeConte's sparrow is a small sparrow with a relatively large head, short grey
bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Pl ...
and short pointed tail. It has a
buffy yellow-orange face with grey
cheek
The cheeks () constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. ''Buccal'' means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside of th ...
s, and a dark brown crown with a white central stripe. The
nape of the neck
The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is also called the nucha (from the Medieval Latin rendering of the Arabic , ). The corresponding adjective is ''nuchal'', as in the term ''nuchal rigidity'' ...
is lilac grey with chestnut streaks, and the back is streaked with brown and beige. Its belly is off white, while the breast and sides are a buffy orange-yellow with dark brown streaks. The feet and legs are a brownish-pink colour.
Measurements
The measurements for both sexes are:
[
* Length: 4.7 in/ 12 cm
* Wingspan: 7.1 in/18 cm
* Weight: 0.4–0.6 oz/ 12–16 g
]
Similar birds
LeConte's sparrow is commonly mistaken for other small sparrows, such as the Nelson's sparrow
Nelson's sparrow (''Ammospiza nelsoni'') is a small New World sparrow. Taxonomy
This bird was named after Edward William Nelson, an American naturalist. Formerly, this bird and the saltmarsh sparrow (''Ammospiza caudacuta'') were considered to ...
(''Ammospiza nelsoni''), grasshopper sparrow
The grasshopper sparrow (''Ammodramus savannarum'') is a small New World sparrow. It belongs to the genus ''Ammodramus,'' which contains three species that inhabit grasslands and prairies. Grasshopper sparrows are sometimes found in crop fields a ...
(''Ammodramus savannarum''), Henslow's sparrow
__NOTOC__
Henslow's sparrow (''Centronyx henslowii'') is a passerine bird in the family Passerellidae. It was named by John James Audubon in honor of John Stevens Henslow. It was originally classified in the genus ''Emberiza'' and called ''Hens ...
(''Centronyx henslowii''), saltmarsh sparrow
The saltmarsh sparrow (''Ammospiza caudacuta'') is a small New World sparrow found in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of the United States. At one time, this bird and the Nelson's sparrow (''Ammospiza nelsoni'') were thought to be a single ...
(''Ammospiza caudacuta''), and Baird's sparrow
Baird's sparrow (''Centronyx bairdii'') is a species of North American birds in the family Passerellidae of order Passeriformes. It is a migratory bird native to the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Taxonomy
The Baird's sparrow was first descr ...
. (''C. bairdii'').[Earley, C.G. (2003). ''sparrows and Finches of the Great Lakes Region and eastern North America''. Firefly Books]
Taxonomy
LeConte's sparrow is a member of the order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
...
Passerifomes, which are the perching birds, sometimes less accurately referred to as the songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,00 ...
s. It is from the family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Passerellidae
New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns.
Although they share th ...
, which is characterized by species of small birds with bills adapted to seed eating. LeConte's sparrow was placed in the genus ''Ammodramus'' in the past and a molecular phylogeny of the related groups identified that genus as being polyphyletic and recommended the group to be split up. This species falls within the genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''Ammospiza
''Ammospiza'' is a genus of birds in the family Passerellidae, in the group known as American sparrows.
The genus name combines the Ancient Greek αμμος (''ammos'') meaning "sand" and σπιζα (''spiza'') meaning "finch".
Species
The genu ...
'' clade which includes ''A. maritimus'', ''A. nelsoni'', and ''A. caudacutus'', which are the ground-loving sparrows that prefer staying in tall, thick grasses to perching on trees. There has been a recorded case of a LeConte's sparrow that hybridized with a Nelson's sparrow, in June 1949 in Ontario, Canada.
LeConte's sparrow was first described by John Latham in 1790 but only received a valid binomial name from John James Audubon
John James Audubon (born Jean-Jacques Rabin, April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was a French-American Autodidacticism, self-trained artist, natural history, naturalist, and ornithology, ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornitho ...
in 1844. He wrote, "I have named this interesting species after my young friend Doctor Le Conte, son of Major Le Conte, so well known among naturalists, and who is, like his father, much attached to the study of natural history." It is generally believed that he meant John Lawrence LeConte
John Lawrence LeConte MD (May 13, 1825 – November 15, 1883) was an American entomology, entomologist, responsible for naming and describing approximately half of the insect taxon, taxa known in the United States during his lifetime, (whose father had been an Army surveyor with the rank of major), although some feel that he was referring to another John LeConte
John LeConte (December 4, 1818 – April 29, 1891) was an American scientist and academic. He served as president of the University of California from 1869 to 1870 and from 1875 to 1881.
Biography
LeConte was born in Liberty County, Georgia, to ...
, also a doctor, and John Lawrence's cousin.
Habitat and distribution
Range
LeConte's sparrow breeds in select areas of Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, such as northeastern British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, across Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
and southern Manitoba
Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
as well as central Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
and into Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
; and as far south as northern Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
and Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. It winters in the southeastern United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
; as far west as central Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
and as far north as central Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
and Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
.[Manitoba Naturalists Society (Holland, G.E., C.E. Curtis and P. Taylor). (2003). The Birds of Manitoba: Manitoba Avian Research Committee.]
Habitat
LeConte's sparrow prefers moist open grassy areas with sufficient vegetation cover to provide shelter. Known habitat use includes meadows, fields, crop stubble, shallow marshy edges, prairie, and occasionally fens and lake-shores within the boreal forest. Studies have shown that vegetation seems to have a greater impact on the abundance of this bird than other factors like climate or patch size. Winter ''et al.'' (2005) says that it can be found at highest densities in areas with a "moderate amounts of bare ground". Agriculture and drainage of these areas is currently the greatest threat to LeConte's sparrow.[Alsop, F.J. (2002). Birds of Canada. Toronto: Dorling Kindersley Handbooks]
Behaviour
It is a very secretive bird that prefers to spend most of its time on the ground under the cover of tall grasses. They are typically very difficult to flush, often only flushing at a distance of as they prefer to run across the ground. When they do emerge they rarely fly more than a foot or two above the grass and often descend again within a few meters.[Vanner, M. (2004). ''The Encyclopedia of North American Birds''. Bath: Parragon Publishing.] Because it is so rarely seen, there are still many gaps in knowledge about LeConte's sparrow. Nests are often very hard to find, and individuals are more often identified by sound than by sight. For example, one survey of LeConte's sparrows identified 86 males by sound, but only 8 of those males by sight.[ For the same reason, very few LeConte's have ever been banded. Between 1967 and 1984, only 355 were actually banded, and none were ever re-captured.][
]
Vocalizations
The male's song resembles a grasshopper
Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago.
Grassh ...
buzz with a short squeaky introductory note and ending with a short chirp. It is often described as ''tika-zzzzzzzzzzzz-tik'' while the call is a short ''tsip''.[ It is most commonly confused with the song of the ]Nelson's sparrow
Nelson's sparrow (''Ammospiza nelsoni'') is a small New World sparrow. Taxonomy
This bird was named after Edward William Nelson, an American naturalist. Formerly, this bird and the saltmarsh sparrow (''Ammospiza caudacuta'') were considered to ...
. The male generally sings from a concealed location, but can also be seen singing from the top of protruding grass stems, or occasionally in flight.
Diet
Their diet in the summer is mostly insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s such as weevil
Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several fa ...
s, leafhopper
Leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family (biology), family Cicadellidae: based on the type genus ''Cicadella''. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or ...
s, leaf beetle
The beetle family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as leaf beetles, includes over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making it one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous s ...
s, stinkbugs, caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
s, moth
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
s and spider
Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...
s. During the winter time the main diet consists of seeds
In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds are the ...
of grass
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...
es and weed
A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. Pla ...
s such as northern dropseed, Indian grass
''Sorghastrum nutans'', known as Indiangrass, is a North American prairie grass found in the United States and Canada, especially in the Great Plains and tallgrass prairies. It is sometimes called Indian grass, yellow Indian-grass, or wood gras ...
, yellow foxtail, panic-grass, scorpion-grass, little bluestem
''Schizachyrium scoparium'', commonly known as little bluestem or beard grass, is a species of North American prairie grass native to most of the contiguous United States (except California, Nevada, and Oregon) as well as a small area north of t ...
, and big bluestem
''Andropogon gerardi'', commonly known as big bluestem, is a species of tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and grassland regions of central and eastern North America. It is also known as tall bluestem, bluejoint, and turkeyfoot.
Taxon ...
.[
]
Reproduction
Mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. ''Fertilization'' is the fusion of two gametes. '' Copulation'' is the union of the sex organs of two sexually repr ...
can start as early as late April but peaks in mid-May. Males will sing from the cover of dense grasses, perched on tall grass or in flight. Clutches range from two to six eggs with four being the most common. Incubation is done solely by the female, though both parents aid in feeding.[ Incubation lasts an average of 11–13 days.] Hatchling
In oviparous biology, a hatchling is a newly hatched fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird. A group of mammals called monotremes lay eggs, and their young are hatchlings as well.
Fish
Fish hatchlings generally do not receive parental care, similar t ...
s are altricial
Precocial species in birds and mammals are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. They are normally nidifugous, meaning that they leave the nest shortly after birth or hatching. Altricial ...
with dull brown downy
Downy, also known as Lenor in Europe, Taiwan and Japan, is an American brand of fabric softener produced by Procter & Gamble that was introduced in 1960.
Brand history
Lenor is a brand name of fabric softener and dryer sheets, also produced by ...
patches.[Baicich, P.J. and C. J. Harrison. (1997). ''A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds Second Edition''. Natural World Academic Press.] Pairs will have one or two broods per year.[ Due to the secretive nature of this bird little is known about the period of time between hatching and ]fledging
Fledging is the stage in a flying animal's life between hatching or birth and becoming capable of flight.
This term is most frequently applied to birds, but is also used for bats. For altricial birds, those that spend more time in vulnerable c ...
.
Nest
Nests
A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...
are built by the female and are cup
A cup is an open-top vessel (container) used to hold liquids for drinking, typically with a flattened hemispherical shape, and often with a capacity of about . Cups may be made of pottery (including porcelain), glass, metal, wood, stone, pol ...
shaped, made from fine grasses and lined with soft grass and hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
. They are usually attached to standing grasses or sedges
The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large; botanists have described some 5,500 known species in about 90 generathe largest being the "true sedges" (genu ...
and are built on or close to the ground. Their nests are often parasitized by brown-headed cowbird
The brown-headed cowbird (''Molothrus ater'') is a small, obligate brood parasitic icterid native to temperate and subtropical North America. It is a permanent resident in the southern parts of its range; northern birds migrate to the souther ...
s (''Molothrus ater'').
Eggs
Eggs
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop.
Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to:
Biology
* Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms
Food
* Eggs as food
Places
* Egg, Austria
* Egg, Switzerland ...
are 18 X 14 mm long and are sub elliptical in shape. Eggs are white with undertones of green, grey or blue; covered in fine brown dots, speckles or splotches usually clustered near large end of egg.
References
Further reading
Theses
* Doster RH. Ph.D. (2005). ''Ecology and conservation of wintering migratory birds in early-successional habitats of the lower Mississippi River alluvial valley''. University of Arkansas, United States, Arkansas.
* Reynolds MC. M.S. (1997). ''Effects of burning on birds in mesquite-grassland''. The University of Arizona, United States, Arizona.
Articles
* Anderson KS. (1975). ''1st Massachusetts Specimen of Le-Contes sparrow''. Auk. vol 92, no 1.
* Dale BC, Martin PA & Taylor PS. (1997). ''Effects of hay management on grassland songbirds in Saskatchewan''. Wildlife Society Bulletin. vol 25, no 3. pp. 616–626.
* Dove CJ, Schmidt B, Gebhard C & Leboeuf E. (2001). ''Late record of Le Conte's sparrow in Florida''. Florida Field Naturalist. vol 29, no 3.
* Hanowski JM, Christian DP & Nelson MC. (1999). ''Response of breeding birds to shearing and burning in wetland brush ecosystems''. Wetlands. vol 19, no 3. pp. 584–593.
* Harris B. (1973). ''Deuel County Notes Specimen Records for Barred Owl and Le-Contes sparrow''. South Dakota Bird Notes. vol 26, no 2.
* Igl LD & Johnson DH. (1995). ''Dramatic increase of Le Conte's sparrow in conversion reserve program fields in the Northern Great Plains''. Prairie Naturalist. vol 27, no 2. pp. 89–94.
* Johnson DH & Igl LD. (2001). ''Area requirements of grassland birds: A regional perspective''. Auk. vol 118, no 1. pp. 24–34.
* Maxwell TC, Madden DE & Dawkins RC. (1988). ''Status of Le Conte's sparrow Ammodramus-Leconteii Emberizidae Wintering in Western Texas USA''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 33, no 3. pp. 373–375.
* Reynolds MC & Krausman PR. (1998). ''Effects of winter burning on birds in mesquite grassland''. Wildlife Society Bulletin. vol 26, no 4. pp. 867–876.
* Richter CH. (1969). ''The Le Contes sparrow in Northeastern Wisconsin''. Passenger Pigeon. vol 31, no 3. pp. 275–277.
* Robbins S. (1969). ''New Light on the Le Contes sparrow''. Passenger Pigeon. vol 31, no 3. pp. 267–274.
* Roberts JP & Schnell GD. (2006). ''Comparison of survey methods for wintering grassland birds''. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 77, no 1. pp. 46–60.
* Villard MA & Bracken RA. (1989). ''First Confirmed Breeding Record of Le Conte's sparrow Ammodramus-Leconteii in Eastern Ontario Canada''. Canadian Field-Naturalist. vol 103, no 1. pp. 89–90.
* Winter M, Shaffer JA, Johnson DH, Donovan TM, Svedarsky WD, Jones PW & Euliss BR. (2005). ''Habitat and nesting of Le Conte's sparrows in the northern tallgrass prairie''. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 76, no 1. pp. 61–71.
External links
Le Conte's sparrow - ''Ammodramus leconteii''
- USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
{{Taxonbar, from=Q28812551
LeConte's sparrow
LeConte's sparrow (''Ammospiza leconteii''), also known as ''LeConte's bunting'', is one of the smallest New World sparrow species in North America.Terres, J.K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York: Alfred A. ...
Birds of Canada
Native birds of the Plains-Midwest (United States)
LeConte's sparrow
LeConte's sparrow (''Ammospiza leconteii''), also known as ''LeConte's bunting'', is one of the smallest New World sparrow species in North America.Terres, J.K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York: Alfred A. ...
Taxa named by John James Audubon