Bird Description

Very common in grassy areas year-round. Usually on the ground, but perches on small bushes and posts. Sometimes found in small loose groups. In flight, listen for a thin 'tsip' call. Song: accelerating chips leading to a buzz: 'seee yer.' ID: Much variation in color and streaking, so really learn its distinctive size and shape. Small, chunky and neckless with a short, narrow, forked tail. Head often slightly crested. Always a crisply marked bird. Underparts are streaked on breast and flanks contrasting with white belly. Streaks vary from black to brown and are usually buff-fringed on the flanks. Malar region is strongly patterned. Upperparts are neat with a striped appearance, sometimes with pale lines down the back. They vary from gray to brown but always have broad rufous fringes to greater coverts. Supercilium is often yellow at the front. Many races. 'Ipswich Sparrow,' nests on Sable Is, NS, winters down E Coast in sand dunes, and is very distinctive: large and pale, with blurry brown streaks, and easy to overlook as SOSP.