Savannah Sparrow

BirdNote^®

Savannah Sparrow

Adapted from a script by Frances Wood

This is BirdNote.
You’ll have to listen closely to hear this summer songster.
[Savannah Sparrow song ML 137843 by G Vyn]
That persistent buzzy song is the Savannah Sparrow. Savannah Sparrows are abundant in open habitats throughout North America, including grasslands and pastures, cultivated fields, even saltmarshes. Ornithologist Alexander Wilson named this sparrow for Savannah, Georgia, where he saw one.
[Savannah Sparrow song]
In spring, Savannah Sparrows migrate north from the Southern US and Mexico to open agricultural fields, meadows, coastal grasslands, and even tundra to breed and raise young. They nest on the ground and walk, run, or hop to catch insects and spiders.
[Savannah Sparrow song]
It’s an understated bird -- creamy colored with brownish streaks. But it's not just another "little brown bird.”  Look closely and you can see its yellow eyebrow stripe. If you're lucky, you may even see it raise its crown feathers. 
And be sure to listen for the Savannah Sparrow, in open, unmowed sections of city parks. You might mistake it for an insect.
[Savannah Sparrow song]
For BirdNote.org.  I’m Mary McCann.
If you ever miss a BirdNote, you can always get the latest episode. Just tell your smart speaker, “Play the podcast BirdNote.” Learn more on our website, BirdNote.org.
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 Call of the Savannah Sparrow provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. ML 137843 recorded by G. Vyn.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Sallie Bodie
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
© 2007 / 2020 BirdNote   July 2020  Narrator: Mary McCann
 
ID#  071907SAVS     SAVS-01b