Species › Birds › Field Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Spizella pusilla

CommonBird
Illustration of Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

The Field Sparrow is a small, gentle-looking sparrow with a pink bill, rusty cap, and white eye ring set in a plain face. Its song is a sweet series of whistled notes that accelerate into a trill — often described as a bouncing ping-pong ball. Despite its plain appearance, it is a spirited singer and nests in old fields and shrubby edges across eastern North America.

Habitat
Overgrown fields, brushy edges, and shrubby clearings
Diet
Small seeds, insects, and grass seeds
How common
Common

Best time to see a Field Sparrow

The best time to see a Field Sparrow is January–June, when about 65% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 21,633 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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