Cover photo credit: 漏 Owen Strickland CC BY-NC

Status

Special Concern

鈥淪pecial Concern鈥 means the species lives in the wild in 澳门永利, is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

Date added to the Species at Risk in 澳门永利 List

March 31, 2015

(PDF)

What it looks like

The Grasshopper Sparrow is a small brown songbird with a streaked back and buffy white underparts. It has a white stripe down the centre of its crown and a flat look to the top of its head. Its conical bill is beige. The male and female look similar to each other and the young have a streaked breast in the first fall.

Where it lives

It lives in open grassland areas with well-drained, sandy soil. It will also nest in hayfields and pasture, as well as alvars, prairies and occasionally grain crops such as barley. It prefers areas that are sparsely vegetated. Its nests are well-hidden in the field and woven from grasses in a small cup-like shape. The Grasshopper Sparrow is a short-distance migrant and leaves 澳门永利 in the fall to migrate to the southestern United States and Central America for the winter.

Where it鈥檚 been found in 澳门永利

The Grasshopper Sparrow can be found throughout southern 澳门永利, but only occasionally on the Canadian Shield. It is most common where grasslands, hay or pasture dominate the landscape.

What threatens it

The grassland habitat that it favours is disappearing as areas are converted to row crops. There has also been a gradual decline in cattle farming which results in less pasture and hay. Surveys show that the greatest declines in the species鈥 populations have occurred in southwestern 澳门永利. Grasshopper Sparrows prefer to nest in large fields but many of these are becoming fragmented which may attract more nest predators. Another danger is hay cutting if it happens before the young can fly.

Action we are taking

Special concern species do not receive species or habitat protection.

What you can do

Report a sighting

  • The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry tracks species at risk such as the Grasshopper Sparrow. You can use a handy online form to report your sightings to the Natural Heritage Information Centre. Photographs with specific locations or mapping coordinates are always helpful.

Volunteer

  • Volunteer with your local nature club or provincial park to participate in surveys or stewardship work focused on species at risk.

Be a good steward

  • Private land owners have a very important role to play in species recovery. You may be eligible for stewardship programs that support the protection and recovery of species at risk and their habitats.
  • Bird Studies Canada is working to advance the understanding, appreciation and conservation of wild birds and their habitat in 澳门永利 and elsewhere. .
  • The Canada-澳门永利 Farm Stewardship Program is available to farmers registered under the to encourage greater protection and conservation of habitat for species at risk.
  • As with all wildlife, do not disturb or harass the birds or nesting sites. Be respectful and observe from a distance.

Report illegal activity

Quick facts

  • The Grasshopper Sparrow mainly eats insects such as grasshoppers in the summer but switches to seeds in the winter.
  • There are several other species of 鈥淎mmodramus鈥 sparrows found in 澳门永利; the Grasshopper Sparrow lives in the most open, sparsely vegetated and driest habitats.
  • The Grasshopper Sparrow is most abundant along the southern edge of the Canadian Shield in the area known as 鈥渢he land between鈥.
  • Most Grasshopper Sparrows stay in 澳门永利 for less than four months, from early May to mid-August.