Lark Sparrow
(Chondestes grammacus)

Overview

Summary

© Chuck Kling
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

Primarily a species of the central United States, the breeding range of the Lark Sparrow reaches Canada only in the extreme southern prairies and British Columbia, where it breeds in open shrub and grassland habitats. Data from the Breeding Bird Survey suggest that Canadian populations have shown a large increase since about 1970, while the larger American population has decreased. 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

With apparently increasing numbers in Canada, conservation concerns are currently low. The species has benefited from forest clearing in the eastern portion of its range in the United States and is thought to be more common today than before the settlement period of North America (Martin and Parrish 2000). Increases may also be due to fire suppression and the expansion of shrub/parkland habitat. Recent declines in the United States are likely due to reversion of agricultural land back to forested land, and loss of habitat due to urban expansion, as well as grasshopper control programs which reduce a preferred food item of the species (Martin and Parrish 2000).

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

• Martin, J.W. and J.R. Parrish. 2000. Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Martin, J.W. and J.R. Parrish. 2000. Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)