Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
A fairly widespread small bird mostly foraging on the ground for seed with a preference for coniferous forests or farmland, parks and gardens. It is a migratory bird, spending winter in the south of the US or Mexico.
- 🇫🇷 Bruant familier
- 🇩🇪 Schwirrammer
- 🇲🇽 Chimbito común
Characteristics
- Length: 13-15cm
- Weight: 14-21g
- Wingspan: 21-23cm
How to Identify
In the breeding season, the species displays a red cap and a clearly distinct black line through the eyes. Outside the breeding season the cap is brown and the black line less contrasted.
Tap image to enlarge
Tap image to enlarge
Click on photo to enlarge.
Where and When to Spot
I observed this sparrow less frequently on Montreal Island. I saw them once in Park Angrignon.
Observations by Park and Season
| Location | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belvédère Outremont | x | - | - | - |
| Champ des Possibles | x | - | - | - |
| Jardin Botanique de Montréal | - | x | - | - |
| Parc Angrignon | - | x | - | - |
| Parc Michel-Chartrand | x | - | - | - |
| Parc Mont Saint-Bruno | - | x | - | - |
| Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies | x | - | - | - |
| Parc de la Cité | - | x | - | - |
| Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park | - | x | - | - |
"-" indicates no observation. It may not necessarily mean though that the species is absent from the park during that season.