Bird guide · Spizella passerina
Chipping Sparrow
What the chipping sparrow eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Migrant
- Size
- 5.3 in (13.5 cm)
- Eats
- millet, seeds
- Feeds
- ground, tray/platform
- Most common
- Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina
Food
What do chipping sparrows eat?
At feeders, chipping sparrows take millet, seeds.
Forages mostly on the ground, in flocks outside the nesting season.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do chipping sparrows live?
Common over much of North America; now nests in gardens and parks. By share of all bird sightings, chipping sparrows are most common in Georgia (1.6%).
States where chipping sparrows are most common
- Georgia1.6%
- New Hampshire1.4%
- North Carolina1.4%
- North Dakota1.2%
- Maine1.2%
- Maryland1.2%
- West Virginia1.2%
- South Dakota1.1%
- Virginia1.1%
- Pennsylvania1.1%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are chipping sparrows, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the chipping sparrow migrate?
Migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in June.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are chipping sparrows, by month.
Identification
How to identify the chipping sparrow
Adults: Chestnut cap, white eyebrow and black eyeline in summer.
Young birds: Streaky.
Size: 5.3 in (13.5 cm)
On camera
Getting the chipping sparrow on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Chipping Sparrow: questions
What do chipping sparrows eat?
At feeders, millet, seeds.
Do chipping sparrows migrate?
Migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in June.
Where do chipping sparrows live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Maine. They are rare or absent in Hawaii.
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