Harris's Sparrow

Zonotrichia querula

The only songbird that breeds exclusively in Canada. Wears a black bib like it's headed to a formal occasion.

Population: ~2 million mature individuals (Partners in Flight/BirdLife 2019 estimate), declining approximately 1.9-2.2% annually (moderately rapid decline, IUCN criteria A2ac+3c+4ac)
Habitat: Breeds in forest-tundra transition zone (shrubland, spruce, larch, wet sedge meadows, lichen); winters/migrates through shrubby fields, agricultural areas, and brushy patches
Fun fact: Harris's Sparrow is the only North American songbird species that breeds entirely within Canada and nowhere else in the world; it is also North America's largest sparrow (excluding towhees).
Range: Breeds exclusively in far northern Canada (northwestern Ontario through northern Manitoba, northeastern Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and Northwest Territories); winters in the south-central Great Plains of the USA (Nebraska south to southern Texas); migrants have been recorded in every state in the lower 48
Diet: Primarily seeds (also buds and berries such as crowberries); consumes insects and other invertebrates especially during the breeding season when insects are scarce; readily visits feeders for black oil sunflower seed, millet, and cracked corn
Size: 0.185 m
Wingspan: 0.27 m
Lifespan: 11.7 years

More Songbirds