Field Sparrow
(Spizella pusilla)

Overview

Summary

© Dan Busby
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An uncommon breeder in Canada, the Field Sparrow is confined primarily to southern Ontario and southern Quebec. Results from the Breeding Bird Survey indicate a large decrease since about 1970. The decrease is likely due to changing farmland habitats and urban expansion (Carey et al. 2008). The species is a candidate wildlife species for assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe
• Breeding Bird Survey (BBS): Relative Abundance and Breeding Distribution (1993-2012)

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

Field Sparrow populations expanded in response to conversion of forest to farm land during the period of European settlement and are likely higher today than during pre-settlement times (Carey et al. 2008). Recent decreases in populations are likely due to natural succession of old fields and other scrublands to forest, which is unsuitable habitat for the Field Sparrow (Carey et al. 2008).

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Carey, M., D.E. Burhans and D.A. Nelson. 2008. Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla), Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Carey, M., D.E. Burhans and D.A. Nelson. 2008. Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla), Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)