# Chipping sparrow

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{{short description|Species of bird}}
{{speciesbox
| image = Spizella-passerina-015 edit.jpg 
| image_caption = Adult in breeding plumage
| image2 = Spizella passerina vocalizations - pone.0027052.s005.oga
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucnredlist>{{cite iucn|author=BirdLife International|year=2021|title=''Spizella passerina''|article-number=e.T22721162A138527131|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22721162A138527131.en|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref>
| genus = Spizella
| species = passerina
| authority = ([Bechstein](/source/Johann_Matth%C3%A4us_Bechstein), 1798)
| synonyms = *''Spizella socialis'' <small>(Wilson, 1810)</small>
*''Fringilla socialis'' <small>Wilson, 1810</small>
*''Fringilla passerina'' <small>Bechstein, 1798</small>
|synonyms_ref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=37E9CCDA7A4B06ED&sec=synonyms|title=Chipping Sparrow|website=Avibase - The World Bird Database|last=Lepage|first=Denis|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref>
| range_map = Spizella passerina map.svg
| range_map_caption = Range map of ''Spizella passerina''<br />{{leftlegend|#FF7F2A|Breeding}}{{leftlegend|#FFDD55|Migration}}{{leftlegend|#7137C8|Year-round}}{{leftlegend|#5F8DD3|Nonbreeding}}
}}

The '''chipping sparrow''' ('''''Spizella passerina''''') is a [species](/source/species) of [New World sparrow](/source/New_World_sparrow), a [passerine](/source/passerine) bird in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Passerellidae](/source/Passerellidae). It is widespread, fairly tame, and common across most of its [North America](/source/North_America)n range.

The chipping sparrow has five subspecies.<ref>{{ITIS|taxon=''Spizella passerina'' (Bechstein, 1798)|id=179435|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{GBIF|taxon=''Spizella passerina'' (Bechstein, 1798)|id=2492109|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref> This bird is a partial migrant with northerly populations flying southwards in the fall to overwinter in Mexico and the southern United States, and flying northward again in spring.

==Description==
thumb|left|An adult and nestlings in a tree nest
Throughout the year, adults are gray below and an orangish-rust color above. Adults in alternate (breeding) [plumage](/source/plumage) have a reddish cap, a nearly white [supercilium](/source/supercilium), and a black trans-ocular line (running through the eye). Adults in basic (nonbreeding) plumage are less prominently marked, with a brownish cap, a dusky eyebrow, and a dark eye-line.

Juvenile chipping sparrows are prominently streaked below. Like non-breeding adults, they show a dark eye-line, extending both in front of and behind the eye. The brownish cap and dusky eyebrow are variable but generally obscure in juveniles.

'''Measurements''':<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chipping Sparrow Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chipping_Sparrow/id|access-date=2020-09-29|website=www.allaboutbirds.org|language=en}}</ref>

* '''Length''': {{convert|4.7|-|5.9|in|cm|abbr=on}}
* '''Weight''': {{convert|0.4|-|0.6|oz|g|abbr=on}}
* '''Wingspan''': {{convert|8.3|in|cm}}

{{Listen|filename=Spizella-passerina-002.ogg|title=Four songs of the chipping sparrow|description=[American robin](/source/American_robin), [song sparrow](/source/song_sparrow), [red-winged blackbird](/source/red-winged_blackbird) and [common grackle](/source/common_grackle) sing in background.|format=[Ogg](/source/Ogg)}}

==Behavior==
It [molts](/source/Moulting) twice a year. In its breeding plumage it has orangish-rust upper parts, gray head and underparts and a distinctive reddish cap. In non-breeding plumage, the cap is brown and the facial markings are less distinct. The [song](/source/Bird_vocalization) is a trill and the bird has a piercing [flight call](/source/flight_call) that can be heard while it is [migrating](/source/Bird_migration) at night.

In the winter, Chipping Sparrows are gregarious and form flocks, sometimes associating with other bird species. They mostly forage on the ground for seeds and other food items, as well as clambering on plants and trees, feeding on buds and small [arthropod](/source/arthropod)s. In the west of their range they breed mainly in [coniferous](/source/Pinophyta) forests, but in the east, they choose [woodland](/source/woodland), [farmland](/source/Agricultural_land), [parks](/source/Park) and [gardens](/source/Garden). Breeding starts in late April and May and the nest is often built in a tree.

This bird filled much the same niche as [house sparrow](/source/house_sparrow)s now do before their introduction to North America, inhabiting cities in large numbers, and they continue to be associated with human habitations and relatively unafraid of people in areas where house sparrows are not present.

==Breeding==
thumb|left|A chipping sparrow at a bird feeder

The male chipping sparrows start arriving at the breeding grounds from March (in more southern areas, such as [Texas](/source/Texas)) to mid-May (in southern Alberta and northern Ontario). The female arrives one to two weeks later, and the male starts singing soon after to find and court a mate.<ref name="hbw">{{cite journal |last1=Rising|first1=J.|editor1-last=del Hoyo |editor1-first=Josep |editor2-last=Elliott |editor2-first=Andrew |editor3-last=Sargatal |editor3-first=Jordi |editor4-last=Christie |editor4-first=David A. |editor5-last=de Juana |editor5-first=Eduardo |year=2018 |title=Chipping Sparrow (''Spizella passerina'') |journal=Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive |url=https://www.hbw.com/species/chipping-sparrow-spizella-passerina|publisher=Lynx Edicions |location=Barcelona, Spain |doi=10.2173/bow.chispa.01 |access-date=2 October 2018|url-access=subscription }}</ref> After pair formation, nesting begins (within about two weeks of the female's arrival).<ref name="Hauber2014"/>

The chipping sparrow breeds in grassy, open woodland clearings<ref name="hbw"/> and shrubby grass fields.<ref name="Hauber2014"/> The nest is normally above ground but below {{convert|6|m|ft}} in height,<ref name="hbw"/> and about {{convert|1|m|ft}} on average,<ref name="ReynoldsKnapton1986">{{Cite journal| issn = 0043-5643| volume = 96| issue = 3| pages = 488–493| last1 = Reynolds| first1 = John D.| last2 = Knapton| first2 = Richard W.| title = Nest-site selection and breeding biology of the chipping sparrow| journal = The Wilson Bulletin| year = 1984}}</ref> in a tree (usually a conifer, especially those that are young, short, and thick) or bush. The nest itself is constructed by the female<ref name="hbw"/> in about four days.<ref name="ReynoldsKnapton1986"/> It consists of a loose platform of grass and rootlets and open inner cup of plant fiber and animal hair.<ref name="Hauber2014"/>

The chipping sparrow lays a [clutch](/source/clutch_(eggs)) of two to seven pale blue to white eggs with black, brown, or purple markings. They are about {{convert|17|by|12|mm|in}}, and incubated by the female for 10 to 15 days.<ref name="Hauber2014">{{cite book|last=Hauber|first=Mark E.|title=The Book of Eggs: A Life-Size Guide to the Eggs of Six Hundred of the World's Bird Species|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=evQvBAAAQBAJ|date=1 August 2014|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0-226-05781-1|page=581}}</ref> The chipping sparrow is often brood parasitized by brown-headed cowbirds, usually resulting in the nest being abandoned.<ref name="hbw"/>

==Feeding==
The chipping sparrow feeds on seeds year-round, although insects form most of the diet in the breeding season. Spiders are sometimes taken. ''[Taraxacum officinale](/source/Taraxacum_officinale)'' seeds are important during spring, and seeds from ''[Fallopia convolvulus](/source/Fallopia_convolvulus)'', ''[Melilotus](/source/Melilotus)'' spp., ''[Stellaria media](/source/Stellaria_media)'', ''[Chenopodium album](/source/Chenopodium_album)'', ''[Avena](/source/Avena)'' spp., and others.<ref name="hbw"/>

Throughout the year, chipping sparrows forage on the ground<ref name="AllaireFisher1975">{{cite journal|last1=Allaire|first1=Pierre N.|last2=Fisher|first2=Charles D.|title=Feeding ecology of three resident sympatric sparrows in eastern Texas|journal=The Auk|volume=92|issue=2|year=1975|pages=260–269|issn=0004-8038|doi=10.2307/4084555|jstor=4084555|doi-access=free}}</ref> in covered areas,<ref name="LimaValone1991">{{cite journal|last1=Lima|first1=Steven L.|last2=Valone|first2=Thomas J.|title=Predators and avian community organization: an experiment in a semi-desert grassland|journal=Oecologia|volume=86|issue=1|year=1991|pages=105–112|issn=0029-8549|doi=10.1007/BF00317396|pmid=28313165|bibcode=1991Oecol..86..105L |s2cid=40449461 }}</ref> often near the edges of fields.<ref name="hbw"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
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==Further reading==
===Monograph===
* Middleton, A. L. 1998. Chipping Sparrow (''Spizella passerina''), in: A. Poole and F. Gill, eds. ''The Birds of North America'' No. 334. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

===Thesis===
* Liu W-C. Ph.D. (2001). ''Development, variation, and use of songs by chipping sparrows''. University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States, Massachusetts. 
* Perez DE. M.A. (1982). ''Parental Foraging in Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina)''. Western Michigan University, United States, Michigan. 
* Tate DJR. Ph.D. (1973). ''Habitat usage by the Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) in northern lower Michigan''. The University of Nebraska – Lincoln, United States, Nebraska.

===Articles===
* Albrecht DJ & Oring LW. (1995). ''Song in chipping sparrows, Spizella passerina: Structure and function''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''50''', pp.&nbsp;1233–1241.
* Anderson SH & Van Hook RIJ. (1973). ''Uptake and Biological Turnover of Cadmium-109 in Chipping Sparrows Spizella-Passerina''. Environmental Physiology & Biochemistry. vol '''3''', no 5. pp.&nbsp;243–247.
* Braestrup FW. (1968). ''Evolution of Vertebrates Parus-Ater Parus-Cristatus Parus-Montanus Nemeritis-Canescens Phylloscopus-Sibilatrix Delichon-Urbica Spizella-Passerina Peromyscus-Maniculatus Turdus-Merula Turdus-Viscivorus Acrocephalus-Palustris''. Zoologischer Anzeiger. vol '''181''', no 1/2. pp.&nbsp;1–22.
* Catherine PO & Joseph CO. (2001). ''Effects of Brown-headed Cowbirds on the nesting success of Chipping Sparrows in southwest Colorado''. The Condor. vol '''103''', no 1. p. 127.
* Dawson WR, Carey C, Adkisson CS & Ohmart RD. (1979). ''Responses of Brewers Sparrows Spizella-Breweri and Chipping Sparrows Spizella-Passerina to Water Restriction''. Physiological Zoology. vol '''52''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;529–541.
* Earley CG. (1991). ''Brown-headed Cowbird, ''Molothrus ater'', seen removing a Chipping Sparrow, ''Spizella passerina'', egg''. Canadian Field-Naturalist. vol '''105''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;281–282.
* Fillmore ER & Titman RD. (1977). ''CHIPPING SPARROW HANGED''. Canadian Field-Naturalist. vol '''91''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;69–69.
* Foster J & Tozer R. (2001). ''Chipping sparrow feeds young of Eastern Kingbird''. Ontario Birds. vol '''19''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;79–83.
* Liu W-C & Kroodsma DE. (1999). ''Song development by chipping sparrows and field sparrows''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''57''', p. 1275.
* Liu W-C & Kroodsma DE. (2007). ''Dawn and daytime singing behavior of chipping sparrows (Spizella passerina)''. Auk. vol '''124''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;44–52.
* Middleton ALA & Prescott DRC. (1989). ''POLYGYNY, EXTRA-PAIR COPULATIONS, AND NEST HELPERS IN THE CHIPPING SPARROW, SPIZELLA-PASSERINA''. Canadian Field-Naturalist. vol '''103''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;61–64.
* Moldenha.Rr & Taylor PG. (1973). ''ENERGY-INTAKE BY HYDROPENIC CHIPPING SPARROWS (SPIZELLA-PASSERINA-PASSERINA) MAINTAINED ON DIFFERENT DIETS''. Condor. vol '''75''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;439–445.
* Pulliam HR. (1980). ''Do Chipping Sparrows Spizella-Passerina-Arizonae Forage Optimally''. Ardea. vol '''68''', no 1-4. pp.&nbsp;75–82.
* Reynolds JD & Knapton RW. (1984). ''Nest-Site Selection and Breeding Biology of the Chipping Sparrow Spizella-Passerina''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''96''', no 3. pp.&nbsp;488–493.
* Scott DM. (1988). ''HOUSE SPARROW AND CHIPPING SPARROW FEED THE SAME FLEDGLING BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''100''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;323–324.
* Simmons GA & Sloan NF. (1974). ''Consumption of Jack-Pine Budworm Choristoneura-Pinus by the Eastern Chipping Sparrow Spizella-Passerina''. Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol '''52''', no 7. pp.&nbsp;817–821.
* Sloan NF & Simmons GA. (1973). ''Foraging Behavior of the Chipping Sparrow in Response to High Populations of Jack Pine Budworm''. American Midland Naturalist. vol '''90''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;210–215.
* Stewart PA. (1968). ''Bird Migration through an Abandoned Farmstead Richmondena-Cardinalis Behavior Dendroica-Palmarum Guiraca-Caerulea Spizella-Passerina''. Chat. vol '''32''', no 4.
* Swanson HM, Kinney B & Cruz A. (2004). ''Breeding biology of the Chipping Sparrow in ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Front Range''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''116''', no 3. pp.&nbsp;246–251.
* Wan-Chun L. (2004). ''The effect of neighbours and females on dawn and daytime singing behaviours by male chipping sparrows''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''68''', p. 39.
* Wan-Chun L & Donald EK. (2006). ''SONG LEARNING BY CHIPPING SPARROWS: WHEN, WHERE, AND FROM WHOM''. The Condor. vol '''108''', no 3. p. 509.
* Zink RM & Dittmann DL. (1993). ''Population structure and gene flow in the chipping sparrow and a hypothesis for evolution in the genus Spizella''. The Wilson Bulletin. vol '''105''', no 3. pp.&nbsp;399–413.

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==External links==
*[https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i5600id.html Chipping sparrow – ''Spizella passerina''] – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
*[https://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Chipping_Sparrow.html Chipping sparrow species account] – Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
* {{InternetBirdCollection|chipping-sparrow-spizella-passerina|Chipping sparrow}}
* {{VIREO|Chipping+Sparrow|Chipping sparrow}}
* {{IUCN_Map|22721162/138527131|Spizella passerina}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q645203}}

Category:Spizella
Category:Birds of Canada
Category:Birds of North America
Category:Birds of Central America
Category:Birds described in 1798
Category:Taxa named by Johann Matthäus Bechstein
Category:Birds of the United States
Category:Least concern biota of the United States

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chipping sparrow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipping_sparrow) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipping_sparrow?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.