House sparrows have an amazing ability to adapt to urban environments and can be found year-round throughout all of the United States, Mexico and parts of Canada. While during summer males will fight each other for territory, during fall and winter they band together in flocks. Chipping sparrows are common at bird feeders, and especially enjoy eating seeds on the ground. They can be found all across North America in areas of woodlands and grassy forests as well as parks and suburban backyards. Chipping Sparrow ( Spizella passerina)Ĭhipping sparrows have a plain gray chest and belly with brown and black streaked wings, a black eye-line and a bright rusty cap. Unfortunately their numbers have declined in many areas as these open fields have become suburbs, where they will not nest. in grasslands, prairies and fields, the more overgrown the better. These little sparrows are found in the eastern half of the U.S. Field Sparrow ( Spizella pusilla) Image: Andy Morffew / flickr / CC BY 2.0įield sparrows have a buffy gray body with brown and white striping on the wing, a pink beak, a brown cap and brown spot behind the eye. Song sparrows will visit bird feeders and aren’t too afraid of nesting near humans. And they sing a lot! Males and females search for places to nest together, and prefer to build hidden in tall grasses and weeds. During spring and summer the males will perch on exposed branches and sing to attract mates and defend territory. So common, that they have developed a lot of regional differences in their coloration, size and song. They are very common across the United States and Canada. Song sparrows are gray and brown with bold warm brown streaks. Let’s look at the more common sparrows that you would most likely run into to on a hike, at the park, on the beach or in your own backyard.

Some are quite abundant while others can only be found in very specific regions. There are over 40 species of sparrows that live in North America. Sparrows can be found in many different habitats such as swamps, grasslands, forests, pastures and everything in-between. Often the best way to tell them apart is by the color patterns on their head and face. They tend to be brown or gray in color with streaking along their backs and wings. Some do eat insects but they are mainly seed-eaters, and their cone-shaped bills make them experts at husking seeds. Sparrows are members of the passerine family of birds, commonly referred to as “songbirds” or “perching birds”. In this article we will take a look at 17 of the most common species of sparrows in North America. In fact they are often called “LBB” or little brown birds. There are many types of sparrows and most have similar sizes, colors, and feather patterns that make them hard to tell apart and leave bird watchers reaching for their guidebooks. Sparrows are not the flashiest birds out there, but they are a fairly large category.

Sparrow with redhead