| Grasshopper Sparrow Identification Tips |
| (Credit: U. S. Geological Survey) |
| General
Information - Large, conical bill - Large, flat head - Short tail - Buffy face and breast - White belly and undertail coverts - Buffy supercilium - Narrow, whitish crown stripe - Gray and brown streaks on nape, wing coverts and rump - Black and white streaking on back - Sexes similar - Juvenile plumage (Summer, sometimes Fall) similar to adult but has fine streaks on breast - Some variation in plumage across range with Florida birds being somewhat darker and Arizona birds having indistinct brownish streaks on sides of breast - Found in open fields - Forages on the ground Similar species The Baird's Sparrow is similar in shape to the Grasshopper Sparrow but has streaks across the breast. Juvenile Grasshopper Sparrows have streaked breasts and can be separated by their whitish, not yellow, crown stripe and lack of dark streaks on the side of the throat. Henslow's Sparrow has olive face and rusty wings. LeConte's Sparrow has different face pattern. Other sparrows likely to be found in field habitats have longer tails and smaller heads as well as different markings (Song, Vesper, Savannah, Field, for example). |
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