Bird guide · Melospiza melodia
Song Sparrow
What the song sparrow eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Partial migrant; northern interior birds winter in the southern US.
- Size
- 6 in (15.5 cm)
- Eats
- seeds
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- Rhode Island, Washington, Massachusetts
Food
What do song sparrows eat?
At feeders, song sparrows take seeds.
Comes to feeders placed close to good cover.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do song sparrows live?
Very widespread, especially the Northeast and Midwest. By share of all bird sightings, song sparrows are most common in Rhode Island (3.2%).
States where song sparrows are most common
- Rhode Island3.2%
- Washington3.1%
- Massachusetts3.0%
- Pennsylvania3.0%
- West Virginia3.0%
- Vermont3.0%
- Maine2.9%
- Oregon2.8%
- Connecticut2.8%
- New Hampshire2.6%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are song sparrows, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the song sparrow migrate?
Partial migrant; northern interior birds winter in the southern US.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in July.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are song sparrows, by month.
Identification
How to identify the song sparrow
Adults: Streaky brown sparrow with a striped face and chest streaks merging into a central blotch; fairly long tail.
Size: 6 in (15.5 cm)
Easily confused with
- Lincoln's Sparrow – compare face and breast pattern
- Savannah Sparrow – shorter tail, open fields
On camera
Getting the song 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
Song Sparrow: questions
What do song sparrows eat?
At feeders, seeds.
Do song sparrows migrate?
Partial migrant; northern interior birds winter in the southern US.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in July.
Where do song sparrows live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Rhode Island, Washington, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, West Virginia. They are rare or absent in Hawaii.
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