Scientific Name:   Spizelloides arborea

Length:   5.5 in (14 cm)

Weight:   0.5-1.0 oz (13-28 g)

Wingspan:   9.4 in (24 cm)

Nest:   The nest is on or near ground, in grass clumps beneath shrubs, rarely up to 4' above ground in willow or spruce. Nest is an open cup of twigs, grasses, moss, lined with fine grass and with feathers.

Eggs:   4-6, usually 5. Pale bluish or greenish, with brownish spotting often concentrated at larger end. Incubation is by female, 11-13 days; male visits nest often, but does not incubate.

Feeding Behavior:   Forages on ground or in low bushes, sometimes in trees up to 30' or more above ground. Except when nesting, usually forages in small flocks. Diet is almost entirely seeds, from grasses, weeds, and other plants; also a few insects and berries. In summer eats mostly insects and other small invertebrates, plus a few seeds. Young are fed mostly insects.

Young:   Both parents feed nestlings. Young leave nest at age 8-10 days, when flight feathers not yet fully grown. Parents may lure them away from nest by offering food. Young are able to fly at about 14-15 days after hatching; parents continue to feed them for about 2 more weeks. 1 brood per season, but may attempt to renest if 1st attempt fails.

Range:   They breed in far northern North America and migrate to northern and central North America for the winter, reaching latitudes as far south as northern Arizona, Texas, and Alabama. Arctic scrub, willow thickets; in winter, brushy roadsides, weedy edges, marshes. In summer most common near tree line, or on open fields if a few taller shrubs are present. In winter in open fields, woodland edges, marshes, suburban areas.

Brief Description:   Adults have a rusty cap, two-toned bill, and grey underparts with a small dark spot on the breast. They have a rusty back with lighter stripes, brown wings with white bars and a slim tail. Their face is grey with a rusty line through the eye. Their flanks are splashed with light brown. They are similar in appearance to the chipping sparrow.