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Harris's Sparrow
Zonotrichia querula
45.0025, -93.1248
Field Notes
Description:
This is a very large sparrow in the family Emberizidae. They range from 17 to 20 cm (6.7 to 7.9 in) in length. They are grayish brown, streaked above with some streaking on the flank. Their bill is rosy to pink. The face, crown, and bib are black.
Habitat:
They tend to nest at the Arctic treeline in scrubby coniferous forests.
Notes:
We usually only see these birds in our area during spring migration. I suspect as they move north they take their time as their nesting areas are still very cold. They probably also use this time to recover from the last migration stage and to bulk up some to have the energy and nutrient reserves necessary to defend nesting territories, build nests, mate, and produce eggs when they do arrive on their nesting grounds. Interestingly, I don't see them very often in the fall on the southward migration..
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