Henslow's Sparrow - BirdForum Opus

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Photo by Craig Thayer
Rollins Savanna, Illinois, USA, June 2012

Ammodramus henslowii

Identification

4.5 inches

• Large, conical bill
• Large, flat head
• Short tail
• Olive face
• Buff streaked breast and sides
• White belly and undertail coverts
• Narrow, whitish crown stripe
• Rusty wing coverts
• Dark and light streaking on back
  

The sexes are similar
Juvenile plumage similar to adult but has fine streaks confined to sides of breast.

Distribution

Photo by Russ Jones
Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada, May 2004

Summer range is central to northern states of the eastern United States. Winters in the southern states from Texas to Florida except on the panhandle. Uncommon, local, and declining in populations.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

This is a polytypic species, consisting of two subspecies^[1]:

• A. h. susurrans:

• New York to southern New Hampshire, eastern West Virginia and eastern North Carolina; winters to central Florida

• A. h. henslowii:

• North-central US; winters to Texas, Louisiana and northern Florida

Habitat

Found in neglected open fields with tall herbaceous vegetation but without much woody growth.

Behaviour

Secretive - often seen only on short flights to cover.

Rererences

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. DiscoverLife

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Henslow's Sparrow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Henslow%27s_Sparrow

External Links

Search for photos of Henslow's Sparrow in the gallery