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{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Taxobox
{{Speciesbox
| color = pink
| image = Passerculus sandwichensis crop.jpg
| name = Savannah Sparrow
| image_caption = Singing male, probably ''P. s. labradorius''<br/>[[Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area]], [[Quebec]] (Canada)
| status = LC
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| image = Savannahsparrow58.jpg
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Passerculus sandwichensis'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T103780243A94699265 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103780243A94699265.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| genus = Passerculus
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| species = sandwichensis
| classis = [[bird|Aves]]
| authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin, JF]], 1789)
| ordo = [[Passeriformes]]
| synonyms = *''Ammodramus beldingi''
| familia = [[Emberizidae]]
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| genus = '''''Passerculus'''''
| subdivision = Some 10–20, see article [[#Systematics|text]]
| species = '''''P. sandwichensis'''''
| binomial = ''Passerculus sandwichensis''
| range_map = Passerculus sandwichensis map.svg
| range_map_caption = {{leftlegend|#FF7F2A|Breeding}}{{leftlegend|#FFDD55|Migration}}{{leftlegend|#5F8DD3|Nonbreeding}}{{leftlegend|#7137C8|Year-round}}
| binomial_authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1789)
| subdivision_ranks = [[Subspecies]]
| subdivision = ''see article text''
}}
}}


The '''Savannah Sparrow''', ''Passerculus sandwichensis'', is a small [[American sparrow|sparrow]]. It is the only member of the genus ''Passerculus'' ([[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], [[1838]]). Recent comparison of [[mtDNA]] [[NADH dehydrogenase]] [[subunit]] 2 and 3 [[DNA sequence|sequence]]s (Zink ''et al.'', 2005) indicates that the '''Ipswich Sparrow''', formerly usually considered a good species (as ''Passerculus princeps''), is a well-marked [[subspecies]] of the Savannah Sparrow, whereas the 2 southwestern subspecies should be recognized as distinct species '''[[Large-billed Sparrow]]''' (''P. rostratus'')
The '''Savannah sparrow''' ('''''Passerculus sandwichensis''''') is a small [[New World sparrow]] that is the only member of the genus '''''Passerculus'''''. It is a widespread and abundant species that occupies open grassland habitats in North America.


Over most of its range it is migratory, breeding in Canada and the northern United States while wintering in Mexico and the southern United States. It is a sexually monomorphic species that is quite variable in appearance. Around 17 [[subspecies]] are currently recognised. These are divided into several groups, some of which have sometimes been considered as separate species.
This [[passerine]] [[bird]] breeds in [[Alaska]], [[Canada]], northern, central and [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coastal [[USA]], [[Mexico]] and [[Guatemala]]. The Pacific and Mexican breeders are resident, but other populations are [[bird migration|migratory]], wintering from the southern United States to northern [[South America]]. It is a very rare vagrant to western [[Europe]].


The species name ''sandwichensis'' is Latin from Sandwich Sound (now [[Prince William Sound]]) in southern Alaska from where the first specimen was collected. The common name refers to [[Savannah, Georgia]], where [[Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)|Alexander Wilson]] observed the species in 1811.
Savannah Sparrow is a very variable species, with numerous races, several of which have been split as separate species at various times. The different forms vary principally in the darkness of the plumage, with Alaskan and interior races the palest, and southern Pacific coastal forms the darkest.


==Taxonomy==
This species has a typically sparrow-like dark-streaked brown back, and whitish underparts with brown or blackish breast and flank streaking. It has yellowish or whitish crown and eyebrow stripes. The cheeks are brown and the throat white.
The Savannah sparrow was [[Species description|formally described]] in 1789 by the German naturalist [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin]] in his revised and expanded edition of [[Carl Linnaeus]]'s ''[[Systema Naturae]]''. He placed it with the buntings in the [[genus]] ''[[Emberiza]]'' and coined the [[binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] ''Emberiza sandwichensis''.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Gmelin | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin| year=1789 | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=13th | volume=1, Part 2 | language=Latin | location=Lipsiae [Leipzig] | publisher=Georg. Emanuel. Beer | page=875 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2656370 }}</ref> Gmelin based his text on the ''Sandwich bunting'' that had been described by [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] in 1783 and the "Unalasha bunting" that had been described by [[Thomas Pennant]] in 1785.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Latham | first=John | author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) | year=1783 | title=A General Synopsis of Birds | volume=2, Part 1 | publisher=Printed for Leigh and Sotheby | location=London | page=202, n. 47 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33728186 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Pennant | first=Thomas | author-link=Thomas Pennant | year=1785 | title=Arctic Zoology | volume=2 | publisher=Printed by Henry Hughs | location=London | page=363, n. 229 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32122137 }}</ref> Latham and Pennant had access to a specimen owned by the naturalist [[Joseph Banks]] that had been collected in May 1778 from Sandwich Sound (now [[Prince William Sound]]) in southern Alaska during [[James Cook]]'s [[Third voyage of James Cook|third voyage]] to the Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{ cite journal | last=Stresemann | first=Erwin | author-link=Erwin Stresemann | date=1949 | title=Birds collected in the north Pacific area during Capt. James Cook's last voyage (1778 and 1779) | journal=Ibis | volume=91 | issue=2 | pages=244–255 [250] | doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1949.tb02264.x }}</ref> The specimen has not survived,<ref>{{ cite journal | last=Medway | first=D.G. | date=2009 | title=The fate of the bird specimens from Cook’s voyages possessed by Sir Joseph Banks | journal=Archives of Natural History| volume=36 | issue=2 | pages=231–243 | doi=10.3366/E0260954109000965 }}</ref> but a coloured drawing of the bird made during the voyage by the artist and naturalist [[William Wade Ellis|William Ellis]] is now held by the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] in London.<ref>{{ cite journal | last=Lysaght | first=Averil | date=1959 | title=Some eighteenth century bird paintings in the library of Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) | journal=Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Historical Series | volume=1 | issue=6 | pages=251–371 [336-337] | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2239047 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | title=115 original watercolour sketches of mammals, birds and fish made during Captain Cook's third voyage on the Resolution and the Discovery, 1776-1780 | publisher=Natural History Museum, London | url=https://nhm.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44NHM_INST/1afpmgq/alma9933890302081 | access-date=16 November 2023 }}</ref>


The Savannah sparrow is now the only species placed in the genus ''[[Passerculus]]'' that was introduced in 1838 by the French naturalist [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Charles Bonaparte]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Bonaparte | first=Charles Lucien | author-link=Charles Lucien Bonaparte | year=1838 | title=A Geographical and Comparative List of the Birds of Europe and North America | publisher=John Van Voorst | location=London | page=33 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33208422 }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=July 2023 | title=New World Sparrows, Bush Tanagers | work=IOC World Bird List Version 13.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/sparrows/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=16 November 2023}}</ref> The English name "Savannah sparrow" was introduced in 1811 by the Scottish-American ornithologist [[Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)|Alexander Wilson]] in the third volume of his ''American Ornithology; or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States''. Wilson had first seen the species on the coast near [[Savannah, Georgia]].<ref>{{ cite book | last=Wilson | first=Alexander | author-link=Alexander Wilson (ornithologist) | year=1811 | title=American Ornithology; or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States: Illustrated with Plates Engraved and Colored from Original drawings taken from Nature | volume=3 | location=Philadelphia | publisher=Bradford and Inskeep | page=55, Plate 22 Fig. 3 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46337777 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Parkes | first1=Kenneth C. | last2=Panza | first2=Robin K. | date=1991 | title=The type locality of ''Fringilla savanna'' Wilson | journal=The Auk | volume=108 | issue=1 | pages=185–186 | doi=10.1093/auk/108.1.185 | doi-access=free }}</ref>
The breeding habitat is a wide variety of open habitats including grasslands and cultivation. Savannah Sparrows nest on the ground, laying 3-6 eggs in a cup nest sheltered by a clump of grass or other vegetation.
They form flocks in the winter to migrate.


A 2005 study that compared [[mitochondrial DNA]] sequence found that the Ipswich sparrow, formerly usually considered a valid species (as ''Passerculus princeps''), was a well-marked [[subspecies]], whereas the southwestern large-billed sparrow was more distinct (''Passerculus rostratus'').<ref name = zinketal2005/>
These birds forage on the ground or in low bushes. They mainly eat seeds, but insects are also eaten in the breeding season.
The song is mixture of ''chips'' and trills. The flight call is a thin ''seep''.


Seventeen subspecies (including the large-billed sparrows) are currently recognized, though many are only described from wintering birds and much of the variation seems to be [[cline (biology)|clinal]]. Four additional subspecies are no longer generally accepted. The complex is usually divided into several groups:<ref name=ioc/><ref name=bow>{{cite web | last1=Wheelwright | first1=N.T. | last2=Rising | first2=J.D. | year=2020 | title=Savannah Sparrow (''Passerculus sandwichensis''), version 1.0 | editor-last=Poole | editor-first=A.F. | work=Birds of the World | location=Ithaca, NY, USA | publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology | url=https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.savspa.01 | access-date=16 November 2023 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>
This bird was named after [[Savannah, Georgia]] where one of the first specimens of this bird was collected.


===Savannah sparrows proper===
Although this bird is generally abundant across its range, some coastal populations depending on salt marsh habitat are declining.
[[File:Passerculus-sandwichensis-001.jpg|thumb|right|Probably ''P.&nbsp;s. oblitus'', [[Kirkfield, Ontario]], Canada]]
All are migratory; wintering ranges overlap widely.
* ''P. s. labradorius'' Howe, 1901 – breeds in [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], [[Labrador]], and N [[Quebec]]. Includes ''P.&nbsp;s. oblitus''.
* ''P. s. savanna'' ([[Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)|Wilson, A]], 1811) – ('''eastern Savannah sparrow'''), breeds in the northeast US and adjacent Canada (includes ''P.&nbsp;s. mediogriseus'')
* ''P. s. sandwichensis'' ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin, JF]], 1789) – ('''Aleutian Savannah sparrow'''), breeds on the [[Aleutian Islands]] and west [[Alaskan Peninsula]]
* ''P. s. anthinus'' [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1853 – breeds in the remainder of Alaska, south and east to central [[British Columbia]] and north of the [[Great Plains]] to Manitoba. Includes ''P. s. crassus''.
* ''P. s. brooksi'' Bishop, 1915 – ('''dwarf Savannah sparrow'''), breeds in southernmost British Columbia to northernmost [[California]]
* ''P. s. alaudinus'' Bonaparte, 1853 – breeds in coastal northern and central California
* ''P. s. nevadensis'' [[Joseph Grinnell|Grinnell]], 1910 – breeds in the northern Great Plains and the [[Great Basin]]
* ''P. s. brunnescens'' ([[Amos Butler|Butler, AW]], 1888) – breeds from central Mexico south to Guatemala (includes ''P. s. rufofuscus'')
* ''P. s. wetmorei'' [[Adriaan Joseph van Rossem|Van Rossem]], 1938 – a doubtful subspecies that may breed in the mountains of Guatemala. It is known from only five specimens, collected June 11–17, 1897, in [[Huehuetenango Department]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}


==Ipswich sparrow==
Fifteen subspecies plus the two Large-billed Sparrows are currently recognized. Four additional subspecies are not generally accepted. The subspecies are usually divided into several groups:
Some post-breeding dispersal. Formerly considered as a distinct species.<ref name = zinketal2005/>
* ''P. s. princeps'' [[Charles Johnson Maynard|Maynard]], 1872 – breeds almost exclusively on [[Sable Island]] which lies southeast of Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean.
:The Ipswich sparrow is somewhat larger and paler in color than other eastern Savannah sparrows. The breast streaks are narrower and pale brown. Some birds overwinter on the island; others migrate south along the Atlantic coast, usually departing later and returning sooner than mainland birds. Some birds interbreed with ''P.&nbsp;s. savanna'' in [[Nova Scotia]]. These birds frequently raise three broods in a year. This bird was first observed in winter on the dunes near the town of [[Ipswich, Massachusetts]].


[[File:Passerculus sandwichensis princeps.png|thumb|A Savannah sparrow (Ipswich)on the jetty at Barnegat Inlet, NJ.]]
* The Savannah Sparrows proper (migratory):
** ''P. s. labradorius'', breeds in [[Newfoundland]], [[Labrador]], and N [[Quebec]]
** ''P. s. oblitus'', breeds in N [[Ontario]] and [[Manitoba]]
** ''P. s. savanna'' ('''Eastern Savannah Sparrow'''), breeds in the NE USA and adjacent Canada (includes ''P. s. mediogriseus'')
** ''P. s. sandwichensis'' ('''Aleutian Savannah Sparrow'''), breeds on the [[Aleutian Islands]] and W [[Alaskan Peninsula]]
** ''P. s. anthinus'', breeds in the remainder of Alaska, south and east to central [[British Columbia]] and north of the [[Great Plains]] to Manitoba
** ''P. s. brooksi'' ('''Dwarf Savannah Sparrow'''), breeds in southernmost British Columbia to northernmost [[California]]
** ''P. s. alaudinus'', breeds in coastal northern and central California
** ''P. s. nevadensis'', breeds in the N Great Plains and the [[Great Basin]]
** ''P. s. brunnescens'', breeds from central Mexico south to Guatemala (includes ''P. s. rufofuscus'')
''P. s. wetmorei'' is a doubtful subspecies which may breed in the mountains of Guatemala. It is known from only 5 specimens, collected June 11-17, 1897, in [[Huehuetenango Department]]{{fact}}.


===Large-billed sparrows===
* The '''Ipswich Sparrow''' (formerly considered a distinct species - see Zink ''et al.'', 2005 -, some post-breeding dispersal)
The '''large-billed sparrows proper''' is sometimes treated as a separate species.<ref name=hbw>{{ cite book | last=Rising | first=J.D. | year=2011 | chapter=Family Emberizidae (Buntings and New World sparrows) | editor1-last=del Hoyo | editor1-first=J. | editor2-last=Elliott | editor2-first=A. | editor3-last=Sargatal | editor3-first=J. | title=Handbook of the Birds of the World | volume=16: Tanagers to New World Blackbirds | location=Barcelona, Spain | publisher=Lynx Edicions | isbn=978-84-96553-78-1 | pages=428–683 [550-551] | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0016unse/page/550/mode/1up | chapter-url-access=registration }}</ref> There are two dark, large and strong-billed subspecies:
** ''P. s. princeps'', breeds almost exclusively on [[Sable Island]]
* ''P. s. rostratus'' ([[John Cassin|Cassin]], 1852) – breeds on the Gulf Coast of northeast [[Baja California]] and northwest [[Sonora]] (some post-breeding dispersal).
* ''P. s. atratus'' [[Adriaan Joseph van Rossem|Van Rossem]], 1930 – resident on the coast of central [[Sonora]] to central [[Sinaloa]] (resident)


'''Belding's (Savannah/large-billed) sparrows''' are all-year residents of [[salt marsh]]es of the [[California]]n Pacific coast. They are dark, [[rufous]], and have rather long but not very hefty bills. This group has been considered as a separate species.<ref name=hbw/>
* The Belding's Savannah Sparrows (resident):
** ''P. s. beldingi'', resident on the Pacific Coast from [[Morro Bay]], California, to [[El Rosario]], Baja California (includes ''P. s. bryanti'')
* ''P. s. beldingi'' [[Robert Ridgway|Ridgway]], 1885 – resident on the Pacific coast from [[Morro Bay]], California, to [[El Rosario, Baja California|El Rosario]], Baja California (includes ''P.&nbsp;r./s. bryanti'')
** ''P. s. anulus'', resident around [[Sebastián Vizcaíno Bay]], Baja California
* ''P. s. anulus'' [[Laurence M. Huey|Huey]], 1930 – resident around [[Sebastián Vizcaíno Bay]], Baja California
** ''P. s. guttatus'', resident around [[San Ignacio Lagoon]]
* ''P. s. guttatus'' [[George Newbold Lawrence|Lawrence]], 1867 – resident around [[San Ignacio Lagoon]]
** ''P. s. magdalenae'', resident around [[Magdalena Bay]]
* ''P. s. magdalenae'' [[Adriaan Joseph van Rossem|Van Rossem]], 1947 – resident around [[Magdalena Bay]]


'''San Benito (Savannah/large-billed) sparrow''' is a resident bird of the [[Islas San Benito]] off Baja California; a stray bird was observed on [[Cedros Island]] on April 21, 1906.<ref name=Thayer/> It has been considered as a separate species.<ref name=ioc/>
* The '''San Benito Savannah Sparrow''' (resident)
** ''P. s. sanctorum'', [[Islas San Benitos]]
* ''P. s. sanctorum'' [[Elliott Coues|Coues]], 1884
:This is a large-bodied and large-billed subspecies, similar to ''rostratus''. They utilize different habitat and their breeding season does not seem to coincide<ref group=notes>For late April 1906, Thayer & Bangs (1907) report nestlings, young birds molting into adult plumage, but no eggs anymore. Rising ''in'' Zink ''et al.'' (2005) found no breeding activity in late April 1999. Consequently, breeding seems to take place in the winter months, with the last young fledging in April/May.</ref> with that of Belding's sparrows. However, their bill size is due to [[convergent evolution]] and their habitat choice simply to the lack of alternatives on their barren island home; altogether, it appears to be a fairly recent offshoot from the Belding's sparrows group. It appears as distinct [[evolution]]arily from these as does the Ipswich sparrow from the Savannah sparrow proper group, only that there seems to have been more [[gene flow]] and/or a larger [[founder population]] in the case of the latter.<ref name = zinketal2005 />


==Description==
The Savannah Sparrows proper are very similar and migrant birds can not usually be related to a breeding population with certainty. The resident or partially migratory subspecies are well distinguishable by size and, particularly between groups, coloration. The Ipswich Sparrow is somewhat larger and paler in colour than other eastern Savannah Sparrows. The breast streaks are narrower and pale brown. Some birds overwinter on the island; others migrate south along the Atlantic coast, usually departing later and returning sooner than mainland birds. Some birds interbreed with ''P. s. savanna'' in [[Nova Scotia]]. These birds frequently raise three broods in a year. This bird was first observed in winter on the dunes near the town of [[Ipswich, Massachusetts]].
The Savannah sparrow has a typically [[Old World sparrow|sparrow]]-like dark-streaked brown back, and whitish underparts with brown or blackish breast and flank streaking. It has whitish crown and [[supercilium]] stripes, sometimes with some yellow (more often near the [[beak]]). The cheeks are brown and the throat white. The [[flight feather]]s are blackish-brown with light brown or white border. The eyes are dark. The feet and legs are horn-colored, as is the lower part of the bill, with the upper part being dark grey.<ref name = byersetal1995 />


It is a very variable species, with numerous [[subspecies]], several of which have been split as separate species at various times. The different forms vary principally in the darkness of the plumage. The variation generally follows [[Gloger's rule]], with Alaskan and interior races the palest, and southwestern coastal forms the darkest. There are some exceptions, though, most conspicuously in some island populations that presumably were strongly affected by [[founder effect]]s. The general pattern of variation has a fairly clear divide, southwest of which the birds become notably darker; this agrees quite well with the limit between ''P.&nbsp;sandwichensis'' and ''P.&nbsp;(s.) rostratus''.<ref name = zinketal2005 /><ref name = byersetal1995 /> Savannah sparrows show some variation in size across subspecies. The total length can range from {{convert|11|to|17|cm|in|abbr=on}}, wingspan ranges from {{convert|18|to|25|cm|in|abbr=on}} and body mass from {{convert|15|to|29|g|oz|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/savannah_sparrow/lifehistory |title=Savannah Sparrow, Life History, All About Birds – Cornell Lab of Ornithology |publisher=Allaboutbirds.org |access-date=2013-03-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Sproule, Ken |url=http://toronto-wildlife.com/Birds/Sparrows/sparrows.html |title=Sparrows |publisher=Toronto Wildlife |access-date=2013-03-30}}</ref> In the [[nominate subspecies]], the body weight averages {{convert|20.1|g|oz|abbr=on}}.<ref name= CRC>''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), {{ISBN|978-0-8493-4258-5}}.</ref>
The '''[[Large-billed Sparrow]]s''', best considered a distinct species (Zink ''et al'', 2005), are:

** ''Passercula rostratus rostratus'' (or ''P. s. rostratus''), which breed on the Gulf Coast of NE [[Baja California]] and NW [[Sonora]] (some post-breeding dispersal.
The Savannah sparrows proper (see [[#Savannah sparrows proper|below]]) are very similar, and migrant birds can not usually be related to a breeding population with certainty. The resident or partially migratory subspecies are well distinguishable by size and, particularly between groups, coloration.<ref name = byersetal1995 />
** ''P. r. atratus'' (or ''P. s. atratus''), resident on the coast of central [[Sonora]] to central [[Sinaloa]] (resident)

==Distribution and habitat==
This [[passerine]] [[bird]] breeds in [[Alaska]], [[Canada]], northern, central and [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coastal United States, [[Mexico]] and [[Guatemala]]. The Pacific and Mexican breeders are resident, but other populations are [[bird migration|migratory]], wintering from the southern United States across [[Central America]] and the [[Caribbean]] to northern [[South America]]. It is a very rare vagrant to western [[Europe]].<ref name = byersetal1995/>

==Behavior==
{{listen
| filename = Passerculus sandwichensis - Savannah Sparrow - XC82760.ogg
| title = Savannah sparrow song
| description = A Savannah sparrow singing from the edge of a restored prairie in [[Iowa]]
}}
These birds forage on the ground or in low bushes; particularly in winter they are also found in [[grazing|grazed]] low-growth grassland. They mainly eat seeds, but also eat insects in the breeding season. They are typically encountered as pairs or family groups in the breeding season, and assemble in flocks for the winter migration. The flight call is a thin ''seep''.<ref name = byersetal1995 /> ''[[Sensu lato]]'', the Savannah sparrow is considered a [[threatened species]] by the [[IUCN]].<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021" /><ref name = byersetal1995 /><ref name=Olson/> The song is mixture of ''chirps'' and trills.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Savannah Sparrow.jpg|Probably ''P.&nbsp;s. sandwichensis'', Alaska
File:Passerculus sandwichensis.JPG|Probably ''P.&nbsp;s. anthinus'', Alaska
File:Savannah Sparrow chicks in nest.jpg|''P. s. labradorius'' nest
File:Savannah Sparrow, Newfoundland.jpg|''P. s. labradorius'', Newfoundland
File:Passerculus sandwichensis.jpg|Probably a Belding's sparrow, wintering in California
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=notes}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
{{Commons|Passerculus sandwichensis}}
<ref name = byersetal1995>Byers, Clive; Olsson, Urban & Curson, Jon (1995): ''Sparrows and Buntings: A Guide to the Sparrows and Buntings of North America and the World''. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. {{ISBN|0-395-73873-3}}</ref>
* {{IUCN2006|assessors='''BirdLife International'''|year=2004|id=53557|title=Passerculus sandwichensis|downloaded=12 May 2006}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
<ref name=Olson>{{cite journal|author1=Olson, Storrs L. |author2=James, Helen F. |author3=Meister, Charles A. |name-list-style=amp |year=1981|title= Winter field notes and specimen weights of Cayman Island Birds|journal=[[Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club]]|volume=101|issue=3|pages= 339–346|url=http://si-pddr.si.edu/dspace/bitstream/10088/6535/1/VZ_119_Cayman_bird_weights.pdf}}</ref>

<ref name=Thayer>{{cite journal|author1=Thayer, John E. |author2=Bangs, Outram |name-list-style=amp |year=1907|title= Birds Collected by W. W. Brown, Jr., on Cerros [sic], San Benito and Natividad Islands in the Spring of 1906, with Notes on the Biota of the Islands|journal=[[Condor (journal)|Condor]]|volume=9|issue=3|pages= 77–81|doi=10.2307/1361136|jstor=1361136 |hdl=2027/hvd.32044072249907 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v009n03/p0077-p0081.pdf|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

<ref name = zinketal2005>{{Cite journal | last1=Zink | first1=R.M. | last2=Rising | first2=J.D. | last3=Mockford | first3=S. | last4=Horn | first4=A.G. | last5=Wright | first5=J.M. | last6=Leonard | first6=M. | last7=Westberg | first7=M.C. | date=2005 | title=Mitochondrial DNA variation, species limits, and rapid evolution of plumage coloration and size in the Savannah Sparrow | journal=The Condor | volume=107 | issue=1 | pages=21–28 | doi=10.1093/condor/107.1.21 | doi-access=free }}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |title=The Ipswich Sparrow (Ammodramus princeps Maynard) and Its Summer Home |last=Dwight |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Dwight |url=https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20200409 |date=1895 |publisher=Nuttall Ornithological Club}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category|Passerculus sandwichensis}}
{{Wikispecies|Passerculus sandwichensis}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170824083240/http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=49 Government of Canada Species at Risk Public Registry – Savannah sparrow]
*[https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/ Savannah sparrow species account] – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
*[https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i5420id.html Savannah sparrow - ''Passerculus sandwichensis''] – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* {{EBirdSpecies|savspa|Savannah Sparrow}}
* {{VIREO|Savannah+Sparrow|Savannah sparrow}}
* {{IUCN_Map|22721110|Passerculus sandwichensis}}

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==Further reading==

===Book===

* Rising JD. (1980). ''Inter Populational Size Variation in Savanna Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA, JULY 17–24, 1980. I+441P. UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA: VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA. PAPER. 1980. P429.
* Wheelwright, N. T. and J. D. Rising. 1993. ''Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)''. In ''The Birds of North America'', No. 45 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.

===Thesis===

* Bingman VP. Ph.D. (1981). ''ONTOGENY OF A MULTIPLE STIMULUS ORIENTATION SYSTEM IN THE SAVANNAH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS SANDWICHENSIS)''. State University of New York at Albany, United States, New York.
* Bradley RA. M.A. (1974). ''GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN THE SONG OF BELDING'S SAVANNAH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS SANDWICHENSIS BELDINGI)''. California State University, Long Beach, United States, California.
* Chew GL. M.A. (1979). ''Species, geographic and individual trends of variation in the song of the Savannah sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis''. Dalhousie University (Canada), Canada.
* Dixon CL. Ph.D. (1972). ''A POPULATION STUDY OF SAVANNAH SPARROWS ON KENT ISLAND IN THE BAY OF FUNDY''. University of Michigan, United States, Michigan.
* Freeman-Gallant CR. Ph.D. (1997). ''Ecology and evolution of male parental care in Savannah Sparrows''. Cornell University, United States, New York.
* LaPointe G. M.Sc. (1983). ''Bilan spatio-temporel de l'activite du pinson des pres (Passerculus sandwichensis) pendant le cycle reproducteur''. Universite Laval (Canada), Canada.
* Pitocchelli J. M.Sc. (1981). ''Song dialects, and vocal development of Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis labradorius, Howe) breeding in Newfoundland and the St. Pierre et Miquelon Islands''. Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada), Canada.
* Reid ML. M.Sc. (1986). ''SINGING VIGOUR AND MATE CHOICE IN IPSWICH SPARROWS (PASSERCULUS SANDWICHENSIS PRINCEPS)''. Carleton University (Canada), Canada.
* Rogers CM. M.S. (1982). ''THE EFFECT OF AGGRESSION ON BREEDING TERRITORY SIZE IN THE SAVANNAH SPARROW PASSERCULUS SANDWICHENSIS''. Michigan State University, United States, Michigan.
* Rogers EI. Ph.D. (1990). ''The influence of habitat quality and gender on the variable mating system of a territorial passerine, the savannah sparrow''. Michigan State University, United States, Michigan.
* Sung H-C. Ph.D. (2005). ''Song variation and male reproductive success in the Savannah sparrow songs, Passerculus sandwichensis''. The University of Western Ontario (Canada), Canada.
* Temple M. M.Sc. (2001). ''Microsatellite analysis of extra-pair fertilizations in the Ipswich sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis princeps)''. Dalhousie University (Canada), Canada.
* Wagner SJ. Ph.D. (2004). ''Variation in levels of monoamines and their metabolites in the brains of Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)''. Clemson University, United States, South Carolina.
* Weatherhead PJ. Ph.D. (1978). ''THE ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF REPRODUCTION IN A TUNDRA POPULATION OF SAVANNAH SPARROWS''. Queen's University at Kingston (Canada), Canada.
* Weatherhead PJ. Ph.D. (1978). ''The ecology and behavior of reproduction in a tundra population of Savannah sparrows''. Queen's University at Kingston (Canada), Canada.

===Articles===


* Able KP & Able MA. (1990). ''Ontogeny of Migratory Orientation in the Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis Calibration of the Magnetic Compass''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''39''', no 5. p. 905-913.
* '''Byers''', Clive; Olsson, Urban & Curson, Jon (1995): ''Sparrows and Buntings: A Guide to the Sparrows and Buntings of North America and the World''. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. ISBN 0-395-73873-3
* Able KP & Able MA. (1990). ''Ontogeny of Migratory Orientation in the Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis Mechanism at Sunset''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''39''', no 6. p. 1189-1198.
* Able KP & Able MA. (1993). ''Magnetic orientation in the Savannah sparrow''. Ethology. vol '''93''', no 4. p. 337-343.
* Able KP & Able MA. (1996). ''The flexible migratory orientation system of the Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)''. Journal of Experimental Biology. vol '''199''', no 1. p. 3-8.
* Alsop FJ III. (1977). ''Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis Extends Its Breeding Range into Upper Eastern Tennessee''. American Birds. vol '''31''', no 6. p. 1101-1102.
* Baptista LF. (1984). ''El-Nino and a Brumal Breeding Record of an Insular Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis-Sanctorum''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''96''', no 2. p. 302-303.
* Bedard J & Lapointe G. (1984). ''Banding Returns Arrival Times and Site Fidelity in the Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''96''', no 2. p. 196-205.
* Bedard J & Lapointe G. (1984). ''The Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis Territorial System Can Habitat Features Be Related to Breeding Success''. Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol '''62''', no 9. p. 1819-1828.
* Bedard J & Lapointe G. (1985). ''Influence of Parental Age and Season on Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis Reproductive Success''. Condor. vol '''87''', no 1. p. 106-110.
* Bedard J & McNeil JN. (1979). ''Protocalliphora-Hirudo New-Record Diptera Calliphoridae Infesting Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis Aves Fringillidae in Eastern Quebec Canada''. Canadian Entomologist. vol '''111''', no 1. p. 111-112.
* Bedard J & Meunier M. (1983). ''Parental Care in the Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol '''61''', no 12. p. 2836-2843.
* Bingman VP. (1983). ''Importance of Earth Magnetism for the Sunset Orientation of Migratory Naive Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Monitore Zoologico Italiano. vol '''17''', no 4. p. 395-400.
* Bingman VP. (1983). ''Magnetic Field Orientation of Migratory Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis-Savannah with Different 1st Summer Experience''. Behaviour. vol '''87''', no 1-2. p. 43-53.
* Bradley RA. (1977). ''Geographic Variation in the Song of Beldings Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis-Beldingi''. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences. vol '''22''', no 2. p. 57-100.
* Bradley RA. (1994). ''Cultural change and geographic variation in the songs of the Belding's Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi)''. Bulletin Southern California Academy of Sciences. vol '''93''', no 3. p. 91-109.
* Brower AE. (1973). ''An Aberrantly Colored Savannah Sparrow from Maine''. Auk. vol '''90''', no 1. p. 206-207.
* Broyd SJ. (1985). ''SAVANNAH SPARROW – NEW TO THE WESTERN PALEARCTIC''. British Birds. vol '''78''', no 12. p. 647-656.
* Burnell K. (1998). ''Cultural variation in savannah sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis, songs: an analysis using the meme concept''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''56''', p. 995-1003.
* Chew L. (1981). ''GEOGRAPHIC AND INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN THE MORPHOLOGY AND SEQUENTIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE SONG OF THE SAVANNAH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS)''. Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie. vol '''59''', no 4. p. 702-713.
* Chew L. (1983). ''FINITE STATE GRAMMARS FOR DIALECTS OF THE ADVERTISING SONG OF THE SAVANNAH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS)''. Behavioural Processes. vol '''8''', no 1. p. 91-96.
* Cooper BA & Murphy EC. (1985). ''Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis Sings a White-Crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia-Leucophrys Song''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''33''', no 1. p. 330-331.
* Cooper BA & Murphy EC. (1985). ''SAVANNAH SPARROW SINGS A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW SONG''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''33''', no FEB. p. 330-331.
* Davis SD, Williams JB, Adams WJ & Brown SL. (1984). ''The Effect of Egg Temperature on Attentiveness in the Beldings Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis-Beldingi''. Auk. vol '''101''', no 3. p. 556-566.
* Dixon CL. (1978). ''Breeding Biology of the Savannah Sparrow on Kent Island''. Auk. vol '''95''', no 2. p. 235-246.
* Ellis PM & Riddiford NJ. (1992). ''Savannah sparrow in Shetland: Second record for the western Palearctic''. British Birds. vol '''85''', no 10. p. 561-564.
* Freeman-Gallant CR. (1996). ''Microgeographic patterns of genetic and morphological variation in Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)''. Evolution. vol '''50''', no 4. p. 1631-1637.
* Freeman-Gallant CR. (1997). ''Extra-pair paternity in monogamous and polygynous Savannah sparrows, Passerculus sandwichensis''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''53''', no 2. p. 397-404.
* Freeman-Gallant CR, O'Connor KD & Breuer ME. (2001). ''Sexual selection and the geography of Plasmodium infection in Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)''. [[Oecologia]]. vol '''127''', no 4. p. 517-521.
* Freeman-Gallant CR, Wheelwright NT, Meiklejohn KE & Sollecito SV. (2006). ''Genetic similarity, extrapair paternity, and offspring quality in Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)''. Behavioral Ecology. vol '''17''', no 6. p. 952-958.
* Freeman-Gallant CR, Wheelwright NT, Meiklejohn KE, States SL & Sollecito SV. (2005). ''Little effect of extrapair paternity on the opportunity for sexual selection in savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)''. Evolution. vol '''59''', no 2. p. 422-430.
* Gobeil RE. (1968). ''The Double Scratch in the Genus Passerculus Behavior Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''80''', no 3. p. 334-335.
* Goldstein DL, Williams JB & Braun EJ. (1990). ''OSMOREGULATION IN THE FIELD BY SALT-MARSH SAVANNAH SPARROWS PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS-BELDINGI''. Physiological Zoology. vol '''63''', no 4. p. 669-682.
* Gustafson DK. (1971). ''Savannah Sparrow Wintering in Waukesha''. Passenger Pigeon. vol '''33''', no 4.
* Johnson OW & Ohmart RD. (1973). ''Some Features of Water Economy and Kidney Micro Structure in the Large-Billed Savanna Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis-Rostratus''. Physiological Zoology. vol '''46''', no 4. p. 276-284.
* Jones AL, Shriver WG, Bulgin NL, Lockwood R & Vickery PD. (2003). ''A probable grasshopper X savannah sparrow hybrid singing a song sparrow song''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''115''', no 3. p. 231-236.
* Jorgensen PD & Ferguson HL. (1982). ''Clapper Rail Rallus-Longirostris-Levipes Preys on Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis-Beldingi''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''94''', no 2.
* La Pointe G & Bedard J. (1984). ''Seasonal and Individual Variability of Behavior Rates in Male Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Biology of Behaviour. vol '''9''', no 4. p. 343-356.
* Lapointe G & Bedard J. (1986). ''Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis Reproductive Success''. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol '''100''', no 2. p. 264-267.
* Liu L, Brookey J, Dimse S, Williams JB & Tallman G. (1981). ''Genetic Variation in Serum Enzymes of Beldings Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis-Beldingi''. Journal of Heredity. vol '''72''', no 6. p. 438-440.
* McLaren IA. (1968). ''Censuses of the Ipswich Sparrow on Sable Island Nova-Scotia Canada Passerculus-Princeps Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol '''82''', no 2. p. 148-150.
* Meunier M & Bedard J. (1984). ''Nestling Foods of the Savannah Sparrow Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol '''62''', no 1. p. 23-27.
* Moore FR. (1980). ''SOLAR CUES IN THE MIGRATORY ORIENTATION OF THE SAVANNAH SPARROW, PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''28''', no AUG. p. 684-704.
* Moore FR. (1982). ''REVERSE TURNING AND ANGLE COMPENSATION IN A MIGRATORY PASSERINE, PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS''. Behavioural Processes. vol '''7''', no 3. p. 259-266.
* Moore FR. (1984). ''AGE-DEPENDENT VARIABILITY IN THE MIGRATORY ORIENTATION OF THE SAVANNAH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS)''. Auk. vol '''101''', no 4. p. 875-880.
* Moore FR. (1985). ''INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY IN THE MIGRATORY ORIENTATION OF THE SAVANNAH SPARROW, PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS''. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie. vol '''67''', no 1-4. p. 144-153.
* Moore FR. (1985). ''INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI IN THE MIGRATORY ORIENTATION OF THE SAVANNAH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS)''. Animal Behaviour. vol '''33''', no MAY. p. 657-663.
* Moore FR. (1987). ''MOONLIGHT AND THE MIGRATORY ORIENTATION OF SAVANNAH SPARROWS (PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS)''. Ethology. vol '''75''', no 2. p. 155-162.
* Muheim R & Akesson S. (2002). ''Clock-shift experiments with Savannah sparrows, Passerculus sandwichensis, at high northern latitudes''. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. vol '''51''', no 4. p. 394-401.
* Nagata H & Ishimoto A. (2000). ''First detailed description of captured Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis in Ibaraki Prefecture''. Japanese Journal of Ornithology. vol '''49''', no 1. p. 55-58.
* Nero RW. (1996). ''A one-winged Savannah sparrow''. Blue Jay. vol '''54''', no 3.
* Ouellet H. (1991). ''SAVANNAH SPARROW ATTENDS NEST OF LAPLAND LONGSPUR''. Bird Behaviour. vol '''9''', no 1-2. p. 30-33.
* Radvanyi A, Kroeger P, Busby DG & Shaw GG. (1986). ''Responses of Quail Coturnix-Coturnix Pheasants Phasianus-Colchicus and Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis to One Oral Dose of Dimethoate and to Consumption of Dimethoate Treated Bran Baits''. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology. vol '''36''', no 4. p. 616-621.
* Rising JD. (1979). ''SEXUAL DIMORPHISM OF SAVANNAH SPARROWS (PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS)''. American Zoologist. vol '''19''', no 3. p. 963-963.
* Rising JD. (1987). ''Geographic Variation in Testis Size in Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''99''', no 1. p. 63-72.
* Rising JD. (1987). ''Geographic Variation of Sexual Dimorphism in Size of Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis a Test of Hypotheses''. Evolution. vol '''41''', no 3. p. 514-524.
* Rising JD. (1988). ''Geographic Variation in Sex Ratios and Body Size Wintering Flocks of Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''100''', no 2. p. 183-203.
* Rising JD. (1989). ''SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS AS IT IS''. Evolution. vol '''43''', no 5. p. 1121-1123.
* Rising JD. (2001). ''Geographic variation in size and shape of Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)''. Studies in Avian Biology. vol '''23''', p. 1-65.
* Rogers CM. (1985). ''Growth Rate and Determinants of Fledgling Weight in Michigan-Breeding Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Condor. vol '''87''', no 2. p. 302-303.
* Ross HA. (1980). ''Growth of Nestling Ipswich Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis in Relation to Season Habitat Brood Size and Parental Age''. Auk. vol '''97''', no 4. p. 721-732.
* Ross HA. (1980). ''THE REPRODUCTIVE RATES OF YEARLING AND OLDER IPSWICH SPARROWS, PASSERCULUS-SANDWICHENSIS-PRINCEPS''. Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie. vol '''58''', no 9. p. 1557-1563.
* Ross HA & McLaren IA. (1981). ''Lack of Differential Survival among Young Ipswich Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis-Princeps''. Auk. vol '''98''', no 3. p. 495-502.
* Sung H-C & Handford P. (2006). ''Songs of the Savannah Sparrow: structure and geographic variation''. Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol '''84''', no 11. p. 1637-1646.
* Threilfall W & Cannings RJ. (1979). ''Growth of Nestling Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Bird Banding. vol '''50''', no 2. p. 164-166.
* Weatherhead PJ. (1980). ''SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN 2 SAVANNAH SPARROW POPULATIONS''. Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie. vol '''58''', no 3. p. 412-415.
* Weatherhead PJ & Robertson RJ. (1978). ''INTRASPECIFIC NEST PARASITISM IN THE SAVANNAH SPARROW''. Auk. vol '''95''', no 4. p. 744-745.
* Weatherhead PJ & Robertson RJ. (1980). ''ALTRUISM IN THE SAVANNAH SPARROW''. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. vol '''6''', no 3. p. 185-186.
* Weatherhead PJ & Robertson RJ. (1980). ''Sexual Recognition and Anti Cuckoldry Behavior in Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol '''58''', no 6. p. 991-996.
* Welsh DA. (1975). ''SAVANNAH SPARROW BREEDING AND TERRITORIALITY ON A NOVA-SCOTIA DUNE BEACH''. Auk. vol '''92''', no 2. p. 235-251.
* Wheelwright NT & Beagley JC. (2005). ''Proficient incubation by inexperienced Savannah Sparrows Passerculus sandwichensis''. Ibis. vol '''147''', no 1. p. 67-76.
* Wheelwright NT & Mauck RA. (1998). ''Philopatry, natal dispersal, and inbreeding avoidance in an island population of Savannah Sparrow''. Ecology. vol '''79''', no 3. p. 755-767.
* Wheelwright NT & Seabury RE. (2003). ''Fifty : fifty offspring sex ratios in Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)''. Auk. vol '''120''', no 1. p. 171-179.
* Wiens JA. (1971). ''Egg Dumping by the Grasshopper Sparrow in a Savannah Sparrow Nest''. Auk. vol '''88''', no 1. p. 185-186.
* Williams JB & Hansell H. (1981). ''Bio Energetics of Captive Beldings Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis-Beldingi''. Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology A. vol '''69''', no 4. p. 783-788.
* Williams JB & Nagy KA. (1984). ''Daily Energy Expenditure of Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis Comparison of Time Energy Budget and Doubly Labeled Water Estimates''. Auk. vol '''101''', no 2. p. 221-229.
* Williams JB & Nagy KA. (1984). ''Validation of the Doubly Labeled Water Technique for Measuring Energy Metabolism in Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis''. Physiological Zoology. vol '''57''', no 3. p. 325-328.
* Williams JB & Nagy KA. (1985). ''Daily Energy Expenditure by Female Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis Feeding Nestlings''. Auk. vol '''102''', no 1. p. 187-190.
* Williams JB & Nagy KA. (1985). ''Water Flux and Energetics of Nestling Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis in the Field''. Physiological Zoology. vol '''58''', no 5. p. 515-525.
* Williams JB & Prints A. (1986). ''Energetics of Growth in Nestling Savannah Sparrows Passerculus-Sandwichensis a Comparison of Doubly Labeled Water and Laboratory Estimates''. Condor. vol '''88''', no 1. p. 74-83.
* Zink RM, Dittmann DL, Cardiff SW & Rising JP. (1991). ''Mitochondrial DNA Variation and the Taxonomic Status of the Large-Billed Savannah Sparrow''. Condor. vol '''93''', no 4. p. 1016-1019.


-->
* '''Zink''', Robert M.; Rising, James D.; Mockford, Steve; Horn, Andrew G.; Wright, Jonathan M.; Leonard, Marty & Westberg, M. C. (2005): Mitochondrial DNA variation, species limits, and rapid evolution of plumage coloration and size in the Savannah Sparrow. ''[[Condor (journal)|Condor]]'' '''107'''(1): 21–28. {{DOI|10.1650/7550}} (TML abstract)


{{Taxonbar|from=Q287893}}
===External link===
{{Authority control}}
*[http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/search/speciesDetails_e.cfm?SpeciesID=49 Species at risk - Ipswich Sparrow]


[[Category:Passerculus]]
[[Category:Passerellidae|savannah sparrow]]
[[Category:Fauna of North America]]
[[Category:American sparrows]]
[[Category:Avifauna of North America|Sparrow, Savannah]]
[[Category:Birds of North America]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1789|savannah sparrow]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin|savannah sparrow]]

Latest revision as of 19:07, 25 December 2024

Savannah sparrow
Singing male, probably P. s. labradorius
Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, Quebec (Canada)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passerellidae
Genus: Passerculus
Species:
P. sandwichensis
Binomial name
Passerculus sandwichensis
(Gmelin, JF, 1789)
Subspecies

Some 10–20, see article text

  Breeding
  Migration
  Nonbreeding
  Year-round
Synonyms
  • Ammodramus beldingi

The Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) is a small New World sparrow that is the only member of the genus Passerculus. It is a widespread and abundant species that occupies open grassland habitats in North America.

Over most of its range it is migratory, breeding in Canada and the northern United States while wintering in Mexico and the southern United States. It is a sexually monomorphic species that is quite variable in appearance. Around 17 subspecies are currently recognised. These are divided into several groups, some of which have sometimes been considered as separate species.

The species name sandwichensis is Latin from Sandwich Sound (now Prince William Sound) in southern Alaska from where the first specimen was collected. The common name refers to Savannah, Georgia, where Alexander Wilson observed the species in 1811.

Taxonomy

[edit]

The Savannah sparrow was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the buntings in the genus Emberiza and coined the binomial name Emberiza sandwichensis.[2] Gmelin based his text on the Sandwich bunting that had been described by John Latham in 1783 and the "Unalasha bunting" that had been described by Thomas Pennant in 1785.[3][4] Latham and Pennant had access to a specimen owned by the naturalist Joseph Banks that had been collected in May 1778 from Sandwich Sound (now Prince William Sound) in southern Alaska during James Cook's third voyage to the Pacific Ocean.[5] The specimen has not survived,[6] but a coloured drawing of the bird made during the voyage by the artist and naturalist William Ellis is now held by the Natural History Museum in London.[7][8]

The Savannah sparrow is now the only species placed in the genus Passerculus that was introduced in 1838 by the French naturalist Charles Bonaparte.[9][10] The English name "Savannah sparrow" was introduced in 1811 by the Scottish-American ornithologist Alexander Wilson in the third volume of his American Ornithology; or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States. Wilson had first seen the species on the coast near Savannah, Georgia.[11][12]

A 2005 study that compared mitochondrial DNA sequence found that the Ipswich sparrow, formerly usually considered a valid species (as Passerculus princeps), was a well-marked subspecies, whereas the southwestern large-billed sparrow was more distinct (Passerculus rostratus).[13]

Seventeen subspecies (including the large-billed sparrows) are currently recognized, though many are only described from wintering birds and much of the variation seems to be clinal. Four additional subspecies are no longer generally accepted. The complex is usually divided into several groups:[10][14]

Savannah sparrows proper

[edit]
Probably P. s. oblitus, Kirkfield, Ontario, Canada

All are migratory; wintering ranges overlap widely.

  • P. s. labradorius Howe, 1901 – breeds in Newfoundland, Labrador, and N Quebec. Includes P. s. oblitus.
  • P. s. savanna (Wilson, A, 1811) – (eastern Savannah sparrow), breeds in the northeast US and adjacent Canada (includes P. s. mediogriseus)
  • P. s. sandwichensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) – (Aleutian Savannah sparrow), breeds on the Aleutian Islands and west Alaskan Peninsula
  • P. s. anthinus Bonaparte, 1853 – breeds in the remainder of Alaska, south and east to central British Columbia and north of the Great Plains to Manitoba. Includes P. s. crassus.
  • P. s. brooksi Bishop, 1915 – (dwarf Savannah sparrow), breeds in southernmost British Columbia to northernmost California
  • P. s. alaudinus Bonaparte, 1853 – breeds in coastal northern and central California
  • P. s. nevadensis Grinnell, 1910 – breeds in the northern Great Plains and the Great Basin
  • P. s. brunnescens (Butler, AW, 1888) – breeds from central Mexico south to Guatemala (includes P. s. rufofuscus)
  • P. s. wetmorei Van Rossem, 1938 – a doubtful subspecies that may breed in the mountains of Guatemala. It is known from only five specimens, collected June 11–17, 1897, in Huehuetenango Department.[citation needed]

Ipswich sparrow

[edit]

Some post-breeding dispersal. Formerly considered as a distinct species.[13]

  • P. s. princeps Maynard, 1872 – breeds almost exclusively on Sable Island which lies southeast of Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The Ipswich sparrow is somewhat larger and paler in color than other eastern Savannah sparrows. The breast streaks are narrower and pale brown. Some birds overwinter on the island; others migrate south along the Atlantic coast, usually departing later and returning sooner than mainland birds. Some birds interbreed with P. s. savanna in Nova Scotia. These birds frequently raise three broods in a year. This bird was first observed in winter on the dunes near the town of Ipswich, Massachusetts.
A Savannah sparrow (Ipswich)on the jetty at Barnegat Inlet, NJ.

Large-billed sparrows

[edit]

The large-billed sparrows proper is sometimes treated as a separate species.[15] There are two dark, large and strong-billed subspecies:

Belding's (Savannah/large-billed) sparrows are all-year residents of salt marshes of the Californian Pacific coast. They are dark, rufous, and have rather long but not very hefty bills. This group has been considered as a separate species.[15]

San Benito (Savannah/large-billed) sparrow is a resident bird of the Islas San Benito off Baja California; a stray bird was observed on Cedros Island on April 21, 1906.[16] It has been considered as a separate species.[10]

  • P. s. sanctorum Coues, 1884
This is a large-bodied and large-billed subspecies, similar to rostratus. They utilize different habitat and their breeding season does not seem to coincide[notes 1] with that of Belding's sparrows. However, their bill size is due to convergent evolution and their habitat choice simply to the lack of alternatives on their barren island home; altogether, it appears to be a fairly recent offshoot from the Belding's sparrows group. It appears as distinct evolutionarily from these as does the Ipswich sparrow from the Savannah sparrow proper group, only that there seems to have been more gene flow and/or a larger founder population in the case of the latter.[13]

Description

[edit]

The Savannah sparrow has a typically sparrow-like dark-streaked brown back, and whitish underparts with brown or blackish breast and flank streaking. It has whitish crown and supercilium stripes, sometimes with some yellow (more often near the beak). The cheeks are brown and the throat white. The flight feathers are blackish-brown with light brown or white border. The eyes are dark. The feet and legs are horn-colored, as is the lower part of the bill, with the upper part being dark grey.[17]

It is a very variable species, with numerous subspecies, several of which have been split as separate species at various times. The different forms vary principally in the darkness of the plumage. The variation generally follows Gloger's rule, with Alaskan and interior races the palest, and southwestern coastal forms the darkest. There are some exceptions, though, most conspicuously in some island populations that presumably were strongly affected by founder effects. The general pattern of variation has a fairly clear divide, southwest of which the birds become notably darker; this agrees quite well with the limit between P. sandwichensis and P. (s.) rostratus.[13][17] Savannah sparrows show some variation in size across subspecies. The total length can range from 11 to 17 cm (4.3 to 6.7 in), wingspan ranges from 18 to 25 cm (7.1 to 9.8 in) and body mass from 15 to 29 g (0.53 to 1.02 oz).[18][19] In the nominate subspecies, the body weight averages 20.1 g (0.71 oz).[20]

The Savannah sparrows proper (see below) are very similar, and migrant birds can not usually be related to a breeding population with certainty. The resident or partially migratory subspecies are well distinguishable by size and, particularly between groups, coloration.[17]

Distribution and habitat

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This passerine bird breeds in Alaska, Canada, northern, central and Pacific coastal United States, Mexico and Guatemala. The Pacific and Mexican breeders are resident, but other populations are migratory, wintering from the southern United States across Central America and the Caribbean to northern South America. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.[17]

Behavior

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Savannah sparrow song
A Savannah sparrow singing from the edge of a restored prairie in Iowa
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These birds forage on the ground or in low bushes; particularly in winter they are also found in grazed low-growth grassland. They mainly eat seeds, but also eat insects in the breeding season. They are typically encountered as pairs or family groups in the breeding season, and assemble in flocks for the winter migration. The flight call is a thin seep.[17] Sensu lato, the Savannah sparrow is considered a threatened species by the IUCN.[1][17][21] The song is mixture of chirps and trills.

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  • Probably P. s. sandwichensis, Alaska
    Probably P. s. sandwichensis, Alaska
  • Probably P. s. anthinus, Alaska
    Probably P. s. anthinus, Alaska
  • P. s. labradorius nest
    P. s. labradorius nest
  • P. s. labradorius, Newfoundland
    P. s. labradorius, Newfoundland
  • Probably a Belding's sparrow, wintering in California
    Probably a Belding's sparrow, wintering in California

Notes

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  1. ^ For late April 1906, Thayer & Bangs (1907) report nestlings, young birds molting into adult plumage, but no eggs anymore. Rising in Zink et al. (2005) found no breeding activity in late April 1999. Consequently, breeding seems to take place in the winter months, with the last young fledging in April/May.

References

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  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2016). "Passerculus sandwichensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T103780243A94699265. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103780243A94699265.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 875.
  3. ^ Latham, John (1783). A General Synopsis of Birds. Vol. 2, Part 1. London: Printed for Leigh and Sotheby. p. 202, n. 47.
  4. ^ Pennant, Thomas (1785). Arctic Zoology. Vol. 2. London: Printed by Henry Hughs. p. 363, n. 229.
  5. ^ Stresemann, Erwin (1949). "Birds collected in the north Pacific area during Capt. James Cook's last voyage (1778 and 1779)". Ibis. 91 (2): 244–255 [250]. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1949.tb02264.x.
  6. ^ Medway, D.G. (2009). "The fate of the bird specimens from Cook's voyages possessed by Sir Joseph Banks". Archives of Natural History. 36 (2): 231–243. doi:10.3366/E0260954109000965.
  7. ^ Lysaght, Averil (1959). "Some eighteenth century bird paintings in the library of Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820)". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Historical Series. 1 (6): 251–371 [336-337].
  8. ^ "115 original watercolour sketches of mammals, birds and fish made during Captain Cook's third voyage on the Resolution and the Discovery, 1776-1780". Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  9. ^ Bonaparte, Charles Lucien (1838). A Geographical and Comparative List of the Birds of Europe and North America. London: John Van Voorst. p. 33.
  10. ^ a b c Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "New World Sparrows, Bush Tanagers". IOC World Bird List Version 13.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  11. ^ Wilson, Alexander (1811). American Ornithology; or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States: Illustrated with Plates Engraved and Colored from Original drawings taken from Nature. Vol. 3. Philadelphia: Bradford and Inskeep. p. 55, Plate 22 Fig. 3.
  12. ^ Parkes, Kenneth C.; Panza, Robin K. (1991). "The type locality of Fringilla savanna Wilson". The Auk. 108 (1): 185–186. doi:10.1093/auk/108.1.185.
  13. ^ a b c d Zink, R.M.; Rising, J.D.; Mockford, S.; Horn, A.G.; Wright, J.M.; Leonard, M.; Westberg, M.C. (2005). "Mitochondrial DNA variation, species limits, and rapid evolution of plumage coloration and size in the Savannah Sparrow". The Condor. 107 (1): 21–28. doi:10.1093/condor/107.1.21.
  14. ^ Wheelwright, N.T.; Rising, J.D. (2020). Poole, A.F. (ed.). "Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), version 1.0". Birds of the World. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  15. ^ a b Rising, J.D. (2011). "Family Emberizidae (Buntings and New World sparrows)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 16: Tanagers to New World Blackbirds. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 428–683 [550-551]. ISBN 978-84-96553-78-1.
  16. ^ Thayer, John E. & Bangs, Outram (1907). "Birds Collected by W. W. Brown, Jr., on Cerros [sic], San Benito and Natividad Islands in the Spring of 1906, with Notes on the Biota of the Islands" (PDF). Condor. 9 (3): 77–81. doi:10.2307/1361136. hdl:2027/hvd.32044072249907. JSTOR 1361136.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Byers, Clive; Olsson, Urban & Curson, Jon (1995): Sparrows and Buntings: A Guide to the Sparrows and Buntings of North America and the World. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. ISBN 0-395-73873-3
  18. ^ "Savannah Sparrow, Life History, All About Birds – Cornell Lab of Ornithology". Allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  19. ^ Sproule, Ken. "Sparrows". Toronto Wildlife. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  20. ^ CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
  21. ^ Olson, Storrs L.; James, Helen F. & Meister, Charles A. (1981). "Winter field notes and specimen weights of Cayman Island Birds" (PDF). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 101 (3): 339–346.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Passerculus sandwichensis (category)
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