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Savannah Sparrow

Status Common in summer, uncommon in winter. Breeds. Although first spring migrants are difficult to identify because this species routinely overwinters, the main arrival of the mainland-nesting subspecies Passerculus sandwichensis savanna generally begins after mid-April. Early April reports of these birds are sometimes misidentifications of the "Ipswich Sparrow," Passerculus sandwichensis princeps, the subspecies that nests on Sable Island. Migrant "Ipswich Sparrows" may first appear in late March (average 31 March, earliest 21 March) and peak numbers occur along the Eastern Shore from early to mid-April.

In summer the mainland subspecies is common and widespread in meadows, coastal dunes, bogs and barrens. A few "Ipswich Sparrows" can be found in most summers mated with mainland birds in the coastal dunes of Halifax County. Migrant and transient Savannah Sparrows have largely gone by October, at which time the first migrant "Ipswich Sparrows" arrive on the mainland (average 8 October, earliest 27 September). Both Savannah Sparrows and "Ipswich Sparrows" winter in small numbers in coastal regions. Estimates of up to 27 of the former and 10 of the latter have been made on Halifax East Christmas Bird Counts. Some "Ipswich Sparrows" winter on Sable Island; as many as 100 were counted there in winter 1969-70.

Description Length: 12-15 cm. Adults: Crown dark brown with light brown median line, bordered by a buff line over eye; pale yellow mark in front of eye and (sometimes indistinct) on bend of wing; back and tail dark brownish gray with buff streaks; wings brown, the outer webs of the feathers edged with buff; underparts white, breast and flanks heavily streaked with dark brown or black. P. s. princeps ("Ipswich Sparrow"): Similar but larger (15-17 cm) and generally much paler; particularly distinctive, even in darker-backed individuals, are the narrower and paler brown breast streaks.

Breeding Nest (P. s. savanna): On the ground and composed wholly of grass; usually in hayfields, dunes, or grassier parts of bogs and barrens, rarely in salt marshes, just above the level of the highest tides. Eggs: 4-5; bluish white, thickly blotched or washed with cinnamon-brown of various densities. Laying begins in the latter part of May. Of eight first nests near Wolfville between 27 May and 16 June, four contained five eggs and four contained four eggs. P s. princeps ("Ipswich Sparrow"): The nest and eggs are similar but slightly larger.

Range Breeds from northern Alaska, Mackenzie Delta and northern Quebec, south to northeastern and southwestern United States. Winters from Nova Scotia, southern Ontario and southern Alaska to Guatemala and Cuba.

Remarks This little sparrow, commonly called "gray-bird" on the mainland, is an inconspicuous and unobtrusive bird whose usual perch is a weed stalk in a meadow and seldom anything higher than a fence post. Its song is a weak, buzzy trill scarcely loud enough to gain the attention of the average person.

Although this bird bears some resemblance to the Song Sparrow, it is grayer than its browner and slightly larger cousin, and its tail is shorter and slightly notched, that of the Song Sparrow being somewhat rounded. Furthermore, the Song Sparrow lacks any yellow in front of its eye. "Ipswich Sparrows" are as large as Song Sparrows, but their pale plumage and Savannah Sparrow form are distinctive.

Welsh (1972) studied Savannah Sparrows on Martinique Beach, Halifax County. Extensive studies of the breeding biology and population dynamics of the "Ipswich Sparrow" were made by Ian A. McLaren and his students (Stobo and McLaren 1975; Ross 1980a, 1980b; Ross and McLaren 1981), to which the reader is referred for details on this uniquely Nova Scotian subspecies. In addition to their larger size and paler plumage (clearly adapted to their dune-grass habitat), "Ipswich Sparrows" migrate earlier in spring and later in fall, have more successive broods (three routinely and occasionally four, compared with two routinely among mainland birds) and tend to be more frequently polygynous (males often with two, and occasionally more, females in their territories).

In addition to the two breeding subspecies, Passerculus sandwichensis labradorius also occurs as a spring and fall transient with unknown frequency. W. Earl Godfrey collected an individual at Cape North, Victoria County, on 5 September 1935, and another was taken by Robie W. Tufts at Spa Springs, Annapolis County, on 8 October 1942. Although generally darker than P. s. savanna, with blackish streaks on its back and breast, it is not definitely distinguishable in life.