Zonotrichia querula

Geographic Range

Harris's sparrows ( Zonotrichia querula ) have wide, but distinct breeding and non-breeding ranges. The breeding range includes north central Canada, the forest-tundra zones of Ontario, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories. Harris's sparrows follow a fall and spring migration path linking northern Canada and the central United States plain states. During the winter/non-breeding season they range from South Dakota to Texas, usually staying within the central plain states, but occasionally groups wander as far as Florida, Ontario, or California. There are no reported Harris sparrows outside of North America.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic

Habitat

In the breeding season, Harris's sparrows occupy mixed forest-tundra zones in northern Canada. They seek out shrubby vegetation to shelter their ground scrape nests. Harris's sparrows overwinter in the southern central United States. They are often found feeding in agricultural fields, pastures or scrubby hedgerows.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate
• polar polar
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• tundra tundra
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland
• scrub forest scrub forest

• Other Habitat Features
• agricultural agricultural

Physical Description

Harris's sparrows are the largest sparrow in North America at 19 cm in length. Average mass is 36.4 g with an average wingspan of 26.7 cm. They have a pink bill and a black crown, face and bib that varies by season and age. Harris's sparrows in non-breeding plumage are brown overall with buffy cheeks, black throats (occasionally with a narrow white band), and white bellies. Breeding sparrows have extensive black patches on crown and throat, with gray cheeks. Juveniles look similar to non-breeding adults, but have a white throat with a dark malar stripe and a dark breast band. All ages and plumages feature a postocular patch that can be brown or black in color.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes alike

Reproduction

Both sexes arrive at breeding sites at the same time following migration and males establish territories shortly upon arrival. Pairs form within 7 days, and nest building (on the ground, usually under or near shrubby vegetation) begins in mid June. Harris's sparrows are a monogamous species, but length of pair bond is currently unknown. Some research has shown slight site fidelity, with males more likely to return than females and both are more likely to return to a successful breeding site. It is unknown whether successful breeding pairs reunite in subsequent years.

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous

Harris's sparrows breed from late May or early June until August. They begin laying their eggs 14 days after arrival to the breeding site. They lay 3 to 5 (4 to 5 average) eggs per clutch, and one clutch per season. The eggs take 13 to 14 days to hatch and chicks are born weighing about 3.1 g. Chicks fledge after 8.5 to 10 days and they reach independence after two more weeks.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• oviparous oviparous

Nests are built either out in the open or under low shrubbery with minimal insulation, so to keep the egg temperatures in optimum range the female spends long stretches sitting on the nest. Females incubate eggs for about 80% of the day, increasing or decreasing in response to ambient temperature. Both parents feed the nestlings, though first-year breeding males take longer than second-year breeding males to initiate this behavior. Offspring are dependent on their parents for two weeks post fledging.

• Parental Investment
• altricial altricial
• male parental care male parental care
• female parental care female parental care
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-independence
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

The longest known lifespan in the wild is 11 years, 8 months.

Behavior

Though Harris's sparrows form flocks for migration, they are otherwise mostly solitary. Male dominance hierarchies are largely influenced by the extent of black feathering on the throat and chest. When males are together in large groups, such as at breeding sites, they also engage in 'jump fights' to assert dominance. These fights consist of jumping at, pecking, and beating opponents with their wings. However, these fights are usually one-sided as the lower-ranked opponent will often quickly shy away.

• Key Behaviors
• terricolous
• flies
• diurnal diurnal
• motile motile
• migratory migratory
• solitary solitary
• social social
• dominance hierarchies dominance hierarchies

Home Range

Territory size for Harris's sparrows ranges from 200 to 300 square meters.

Communication and Perception

The males sing from exposed perches in their respective territories. Males sing 1 to 3 song types, and their song is not directed solely at females; the males also use song to communicate with each other across territories.

The extent of black "bib" coloration on the throat and breast of male Harris's sparrows communicates rank. Males with larger bibs, regardless of age, are often perceived as higher ranked than males with smaller bibs.

Harris's sparrows perceive their habitat through visual, tactile, auditory and chemical stimuli.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• acoustic acoustic

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

During the breeding season, Harris's sparrows eat seeds, fruits, arthropods, and conifer needles. During winter and migrations, they limit their diet to seeds and fruit. In general, they are ground feeders and will kick at nearby vegetation with their feet until the seed or fruit falls down to ground level.

• Primary Diet
• omnivore omnivore

• Animal Foods
• insects
• terrestrial non-insect arthropods

• Plant Foods
• seeds, grains, and nuts
• fruit

Predation

Known predators include arctic ground squirrels and short tailed weasels which are most prevalent during the breeding season. Since nests are on the ground, Harris's sparrows provide an easy target for these terrestrial predators. Otherwise, northern shrikes and merlins are their main predators.

As an anti-predator adaptation, Harris's sparrows fly up into trees when startled by humans. They duck down to the ground when threatened by other birds. They also produce alarm calls when threatened to alert others.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• cryptic cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

Harris's sparrows are used as a host by nasal mites Ptilonyssus morofskyi and Ptilonyssus sairae . Several species of feather lice Ricinus hastatus , Ricinus fringillae , Philopterus subflavescens , and Ceratophylus garei are also prevalent. As they are largely seed-eaters, Harris's sparrows are likely an important seed dispersant.

• Ecosystem Impact
• disperses seeds

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

No positive economic importance is known for Harris's sparrows.

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There are no known adverse effects of Harris's sparrows on humans.

Conservation Status

Harris's sparrows are of least concern as their numbers have remained steady. This can likely be attributed to the extreme isolation of their northern breeding grounds where the threat of human disturbance is low. Overwintering habitats are suffering from human development, however the birds have recently become frequent feeder visitors and find adequate food resources to support the population.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

BioKIDS Critter Catalog

Contributors

Mary Roth (author), Florida State University, Emily DuVal (editor), Florida State University, Rachelle Sterling (editor), Special Projects.

References

Norment, C., S. Shackleton. 1993. Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula). Pp. 1-20 in The Birds of North America , Vol. 64. Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences.

Norment, C. 1992. Comparative Breeding Biology of Harris’ Sparrows and Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrows in the Northwest Territories, Canada.. The Condor , 94: 955-975.

Norment, C. 1995. Incubation Patterns in Harris' Sparrows and White-Crowned Sparrows in the Northwest Territories, Canada (Patrón de Incubación de Zonotrichia querula y Z. leucophrys gambelii en los Territorios del Noroeste de Canada). Journal of Field Ornithology , 66: 553-563.

Norment, C. 1993. Nest-site characteristics and Nest predation in Harris’ Sparrows and white-crowned sparrows in the northwest-territories, Canada.. Auk , 110: 769-777.

Norment, C. 2003. Patterns of Nestling feeding in Harris’s Sparrows, Zonorichia querula and White-crowned Sparrows, Z. leucophyrs, in the Northwest Territories, Canada.. Canadian Field Naturalist , 117: 203-208.

Sibley, D. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds . New York: Chanticleer Press..