This month, let’s learn about a small-to-medium sized sparrow, called the Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii). Lincoln’s Sparrows are medium-distance migrants (or birds that change location depending on the season). They migrate into the Sacramento Valley starting in September and leave again in the spring around April to find nesting sites. Lincoln’s Sparrows have a reputation of being shy or elusive birds and often remain hidden under thick groundcover or bushes. There have been limited studies about Lincoln’s Sparrows because the majority nest in cold, northern (or boreal) regions. They tend to be solitary birds but sometimes they travel and forage with small groups of mixed sparrow species especially during migration. There are three subspecies of Lincoln’s Sparrows, each having slight differences in coloration and size.

What do Lincoln’s Sparrows look like? 

At first glance, Lincoln’s Sparrows appear to be rather plain brownish-gray birds. However, when studying them more closely, the fine detail and harmonizing colors of their plumage (feathers) are very attractive. One author described the Lincoln’s Sparrow as “wearing a fine tailored suit.” Their pale breasts and sides are streaked with very thin dark lines and tinged with a buff color. In comparison, the closely related Song Sparrow has thicker streaking on the breast and a longer tail. Lincoln’s Sparrows also have thin, fairly small conical bills, dark eyes surrounded by pale eye rings, a thin brown eye line that runs from the back of their eyes down towards their neck region. A central dark spot on their breast may be present. They also have broad gray eyebrows (or supercilium), a gray face, a white chin region with tiny dark streaks, both buffy (or light brownish-yellow) and black cheek streaks, gray and brown backs with dark streaking, and reddish-brown or rusty edges on their wings and tails.

Lincoln’s Sparrows have stripes on their crowns (or the tops of their heads). There is a central gray crown stripe bordered by two reddish-brown stripes streaked with black. Lincoln’s Sparrows can “raise up” their crown feathers forming a crest or peak. Juveniles look similar to adult birds but are more heavily streaked overall and do not have the buffy breast that's typical with adult plumage.

Where do Lincoln’s Sparrows live and nest? 

The Lincoln’s Sparrow nesting range is across Canada and in Newfoundland, in eastern and far-northern California, and parts of Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, and Wyoming, usually from June-August.

In the summer, Lincoln’s Sparrows frequently nest in mountainous areas under willow and alder thickets or in wet meadows with sedges (grass-like plants) in wetlands. Their nests are also located near patches of cottonwoods or black spruce, areas with sphagnum moss present, and in shrubby areas near streams. Lincoln’s Sparrows are ground nesters and the females construct cup-shaped nests that are usually located under thick cover. Often females will first dig out a depression in the ground for their nests before gathering materials. They weave together willow bark and dried grasses and sedges to make the outer part of the nest. Then, they line the nests with soft plant material. Lincoln’s Sparrow females incubate their eggs (sit on eggs to keep them warm). Both parents help to feed the nestlings who are able to fly a distance of about 30 feet on the sixth day of life. Young birds fledge (or leave) the nests at around 9-12 days after hatching and their parents may continue to care for them for 2-3 additional weeks. 

Lincoln’s Sparrows spend their winters along the Pacific Coast south from British Columbia, in central and southern California, several southern states in the U.S., Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador. Lincoln’s Sparrow habitats in wintertime include many types of forests, weedy pastures, and shrubby fields. They can also be found around the edges or ponds and marshes.

What do Lincoln’s Sparrows eat?

Lincoln’s Sparrows primarily eat the seeds of weeds and grasses in the winter and switch to eating both seeds and  insects, such as beetles, flies, caterpillars, moths, leafhoppers, ants, and aphids in the summer. They spend a lot of time on the ground under dense thickets foraging (hunting) for food and frequently will scratch the ground’s surface to uncover seeds or insects. They will sometimes look for food when perching in low trees or bushes and can use aerial maneuvers to catch moths.

What do Lincoln’s Sparrows sound like?

Lincoln’s Sparrows have a loud wren-like song that has been described as buzzy, warbling, trilling, or bubbly and is commonly heard near their nesting territories. During nesting season, males often perch and sing to claim their territories. Males use specific calls to “hopefully” scare intruders away from their nest sites. In the winter months especially, Lincoln’s Sparrows are often hidden and secretive. It’s their unique call(s) that can help birders identify and possibly see them. They have calls that sound like a buzzy “zeee” or “zeet”, a buzzing “zrrr-zrrr-zrrr”, and a flat “chup” or “chep”. You can listen to the song and calls of Lincoln's Sparrows now.

These sounds of Lincoln’s Sparrow are from xeno-canto. More Lincoln’s Sparrow vocalizations can be found at: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Melospiza-lincolnii

This article was compiled by Jane Van Kessel.

Sources include Cornell’s All About Birds and Birds of the World, Birdfy.com, BirdWeb, National Audubon Society Field Guide, 150 Frequently Seen Birds of California’s Great Valley, Sibley Birds West: Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, Second Edition, by David Allen Sibley, National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 2017 edition, Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America by Kenn Kaufman, Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, eBird.org, Wikipedia