Grasshopper Sparrow
(Ammodramus savannarum)

Overview

Summary

© Tony Battiste
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The Grasshopper Sparrow is a relatively uncommon and patchily distributed grassland bird that breeds across the southern reaches of Canada. The Breeding Bird Survey suggests a large decrease in the population relative to about 1970. Loss and degradation of native prairie and grassland habitat, as well as pastures and hayfields, are thought to be the primary cause of the population decline (Vickery 1996). The pratensis sub-species found in Ontario and Quebec was assessed as Special Concern in 2013 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC 2013e). 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

Similar to many other grassland species, the primary reason for the decline in the Grasshopper Sparrow is habitat loss and degradation (Vickery 1996). This species prefers native prairie and grasslands, and has adapted to using planted hayfields and pastures. Despite this adaptability, habitat is still being lost, degraded and fragmented by conversion to large-scale agriculture. Agriculture programs that encourage planting grass on marginal cropland in the prairies are particularly helpful to this species (McMaster and Davis 2001). Depending on the type of grassland, light grazing, prescribed burning or delayed mowing are recommended to conserve suitable habitat for the species (Vickery 1996). In the eastern portion of the range, conversion of marginal lands into planted tree stands has also been detrimental (Savignac et al. 2011). For information on the legal status of this species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and to see available recovery documents, see the SARA Registry.

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

• COSEWIC. 2013e. COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Grasshopper Sparrow pratensis Subspecies Ammodramus savannarum pratensis in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. ix+36 pp. COSEWIC. 2013e. COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Grasshopper Sparrow pratensis Subspecies Ammodramus savannarum pratensis in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. ix+36 pp. (Link)
• McMaster, D.G. and S.K. Davis. 2001. An evaluation of Canada’s Permanent Cover Program: habitat for grassland birds? Journal of Field Ornithology 72:195-210.
• Savignac, C., B. Jobin and G. Falardeau. 2011. Status of the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) in Quebec. Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. Technical Report Series Number 518, vii + 39 pp.+ appendix.
• Vickery, P.D. 1996. Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Vickery, P.D. 1996. Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)