Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
The Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) is a common new world sparrow found in 20 countries, weighing about 17 g. Lincoln's sparrow is a small sparrow native to North America.
About the Lincoln's Sparrow
Lincoln's sparrow is a small sparrow native to North America. It is a less common passerine bird that often stays hidden under thick ground cover, but can be distinguished by its sweet, wrenlike song. Lincoln's sparrow is one of three species in the genus Melospiza which also includes the song sparrow and the swamp sparrow. It lives in well-covered brushy habitats, often near water. This bird is poorly documented because of its secretive nature and breeding habits solely in boreal regions.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Adults have dark-streaked olive-brown upperparts and a light brown breast with fine streaks, a white belly, and a white throat. They have a brown cap with a grey stripe in the middle, olive-brown wings, and a narrow tail. Their face is grey with brown cheeks, a buffy mustache, and a brown line through the eye with a narrow eye ring. Males and females are alike in plumage. They are somewhat similar in appearance to the song sparrow although smaller and trimmer with finer breast streaks. Voice: Lincoln's sparrow is a very secretive species; they are often not seen or heard even where they are common. Only the males are known to sing and their song is unique among the Melospiza genus. They produce a sweet, wrenlike, gurgling song with varied frequencies.
What the Lincoln's Sparrow sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Lincoln's Sparrow?
- Adults have dark-streaked olive-brown upperparts and a light brown breast with fine streaks, a white belly, and a white throat. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Lincoln's Sparrow?
- The Lincoln's Sparrow is a small sized bird weighing about 17 g.
- Where can you see a Lincoln's Sparrow?
- The Lincoln's Sparrow occurs in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
- What does a Lincoln's Sparrow sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Lincoln's Sparrow on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Lincoln's Sparrow?
- The Lincoln's Sparrow is most easily confused with the Swamp Sparrow and the Song Sparrow.
- Is the Lincoln's Sparrow endangered?
- The Lincoln's Sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Lincoln's Sparrow for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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