Ammodramus leconteii
With sputtering wing beats, flushed LeConte's Sparrows fly weakly over their marshy habitats before they unexpectedly seem to crash into the mass of grasses. LeConte's Sparrows are secretive birds that are usually difficult to observe; even singing males choose low perches from which to offer their love ballads. The LeConte's Sparrow's song is very similar to that of a Grasshopper Sparrow, but it is even weaker, briefer and more buzzy. Dr. John LeConte is best remembered as being one of the pre-eminent American entomologists of the 19th century, but he was interested in all areas of natural history. |
I.D.: Sexes similar: buffy-orange face markings; gray cheek; orange breast; lightly streaked breast; light crown stripe; mottled brown upperparts; light legs. Size: L 41/2-5 in. (11-13 cm). Range: uncommon summer resident in Jasper NP; rare in the northern U.S. Rockies and elsewhere in the Canadian Rockies. Habitat: flooded sedge and grass meadows and willow flats in the lower montane. Nesting: typically in the prairies and grasslands of southern Canada and the north- central U.S.; on the ground or very low in a shrub; well-concealed cup is placed in dry areas of marshland and woven with grass; female incubates 3-5 eggs for 12-13 days. Feeding: forages on the ground and gleans low vegetation for insects, spiders and seeds. Voice: Male: quick, insect-like buzz: take-it ea-zy! Similar Species: Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow : gray nape with white streaks on the back. Grasshopper Sparrow : lacks the dark streaking on the breast. Baird's Sparrow: lacks the buffy-orange in the face. |
