# Grasshopper Sparrow

Scientific name: Ammodramus savannarum

Bird group: [sparrow](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/sparrow)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/266/Grasshopper-Sparrow

## Identification

The grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) is a small New World sparrow. The genus Ammodramus contains nine species that inhabit grasslands and prairies.
These small sparrows measure 10–14 cm (3.9–5.5 in) in length, span about 17.5 cm (6.9 in) across the wings and weigh from 13.8 to 28.4 g (0.49 to 1.00 oz), with an average of 17 g (0.60 oz). Adults have upperparts streaked with brown, grey, black and white; they have a light brown breast, a white belly and a short brown tail. Their face is light brown with an eye ring and a dark brown crown with a central narrow light stripe. There are regional variations in the appearance of this bird.


## Call

This bird's song is a buzzy tik tuk zee, resembling the sound made by a grasshopper. Unlike some other members of the Ammodramus family of sparrows, they will readily sing from open and exposed perches.


## Distribution and habitat

The Grasshopper Sparrow is widespread from North 
America to northwestern South 
America including the West 
Indies, where it is a common 
year-round resident on Puerto 
Rico, Hispaniola, and Jamaica 
(Raffaele and others 1998). It is 
a common resident in grasslands 
of Puerto Rico (Oberle 2018), 
and it has also been reported on 
Vieques, where it is considered 
an extremely rare resident in 
winter, spring, and summer 
(Gemmill 2015). Habitat includes 
mostly weedy fields and pastures 
with tall grasses (Oberle 2018, 
Raffaele and others 1998). The 
atlas fieldwork yielded a total of 66 records within 42 hexagons 
or 9 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the 42 
hexagons where this species 
was found, breeding met the 
atlas definition of confirmed in 
5 percent (2) of the hexagons, 
probable in 40 percent (17), 
and possible in 55 percent (23) 
(see map).Grasshopper Sparrow distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones 
in Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding. 

## Breeding

Previously published reports indicate that the Grasshopper 
Sparrow breeds primarily from 
May to August but also in other 
months (Raffaele and others 
1998). The nest consists of a 
dome-shaped structure that is 
usually made of dry weeds,       257Grasshopper Sparrow/Gorrión Chicharrarootlets and hairs, and is built hidden in the grass or ground 
(Biaggi 1997). Atlas results show 
that this species basically breeds 
throughout the year with the 
most breeding activity from 
May to July (see chart). The 
breeding activity peaks in May, 
and it mostly takes place within 
the subtropical moist forest life 
zone (see chart). Results show 
that this species breeds mostly 
on the coastal plain and mostly 
within the subtropical moist 
forest life zone (57 percent 
of the hexagons), but it also breeds within the subtropical 
dry forest life zone (40 percent 
of the hexagons) and rarely in 
the subtropical wet and lower 
montane wet forest life zones 
at higher elevations (2 and 
2 percent of the hexagons, 
respectively) (see table 
and map).

## Conservation

The current population trend for the Grasshopper Sparrow 
is described as decreasing in 
North America (Butcher and Niven 2007). Nonetheless, it 
is currently listed as a species 
of least concern by the IUCN 
(BirdLife International 2018). 
Locally, this species is not 
listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER and 
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the 
Grasshopper Sparrow has a 
protected habitat in land of 
about 17 percent or 166 km2 of the total area covered by 
the hexagons where evidence 
of breeding was found for this 
species (1004 km2). 

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_266_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_266_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.