Melospiza lincolnii
There is a certain beauty in the Lincoln's Sparrow that is greater than the sum of its feather patterns. The sights, sounds and smells of this bird's natural habitat seem to magnify the bird's appearance. The Lincoln's Sparrow appears to be more fearful than many other sparrows in the Rockies. It only sits openly on exposed vegetation and look-out perches when it is defending its nest or singing its bubbly courtship song. The nesting territories of Lincoln's Sparrows are frequently flooded by snow melt and swollen streams through the spring and early summer. This sparrow bears the name of Thomas Lincoln, a young companion to Audubon on his voyage to Labrador. |
I.D.: Sexes similar: lightly streaked breast with a buffy wash; buffy 'jaw' line; gray eyebrow; brown cheek; dark cap; white belly; gray collar; brown-gray, mottled upperparts; very faint, white eye ring. Size: L 53/4 in. (15 cm). Range: common migrant and summer resident throughout the Rockies. Habitat: shrubby meadows, shoreline forests, bog edges, wetlands with emergent sedges and tall shoreline vegetation and roadsides from the foothills to the lower subalpine. Nesting: on the ground, often sunk into soft moss or concealed beneath shrubs; well-hidden cup nest is woven with dry grass and lined with fine materials; female incubates 4-5 eggs for 11-14 days. Feeding: scratches at the ground, exposing invertebrates and seeds; occasionally visits feeding stations. Voice: very wren-like warble, kee kee kee, see see seedle seedle seedle see-see-see-see, with a trill in the middle. Similar Species: Song Sparrow: heavier breast streaking; white 'jaw' line. Savannah Sparrow: yellow lore; white eyebrow and 'jaw' line. |
