Description 5-7" (13-18 cm). Heavy brown streaking
on white underparts, with prominent central breast spot (sometimes
lacking in juveniles). Subspecies show considerable variations
in size and colors, ranging from pale sandy to dark brown. Pumps
its relatively long, rounded tail in flight.
Voice Song consists of 3 short notes followed by a varied trill,
sometimes interpreted as Madge-Madge-Madge, put-on-your-tea-kettle-ettle-ettle.
Habitat Forest edges, clearings, thickets, and marshes with open
grassy feeding areas; undergrowth in gardens, city parks; low dense
scrub for nesting; tall vantage points for singing.
Nesting 3-6 pale greenish-white, heavily marked eggs in a neat,
well-hidden grassy cup nest often lined with hair, placed in a
bush or on the ground. Lays up to 3 clutches in a season.
Range Breeds from Aleutians and mainland Alaska east to Newfoundland
and south to California, North Dakota, and Carolinas. Winters from
southern Canada throughout United States to Gulf Coast and Mexico.
Discussion The Song Sparrow is one of the most widespread, diverse,
and geographically variable of North American birds. The 34 recognized
subspecies range from very large, dark-colored, large-billed birds
on the rocky beaches of the humid Aleutian Islands to small, sandy,
short-billed birds in scrub desert areas in the lower Colorado
River valley. Other subspecies are found in coastal salt marshes,
freshwater marshes, humid coastal belts, and dry, sagebrush-covered
regions
