Harris’s Sparrow

Harris's sparrow on a bird feeder
Harris’s sparrow. Photo by Ginny Fuhrer.

Appearance: The Harris’s sparrow is a medium-sized bird about 7 1/2″ long. It has black and charcoal in its head all the way to the back of its neck. The neck and belly are white with brown spots, brown wings, and a pink bill and legs. The female is the same.

Diet: Seeds, insects, berries.

Feeder food: Black-oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and millet.

Habitat: Shrubby areas dense with vegetation.

Nesting: The cup-shaped nest is located on the ground. They have 1 brood/season with 4-5 white eggs with brown spots in each brood. Incubation is 13-14 days.

Migration: Harris’s sparrows are migrators. They migrate north in the spring to breed and raise their young. Then in the fall, they migrate south for the winter.
Breeding range: Canada’s Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northwest parts of Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Winter range: Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Range Map

Harris's sparrow range map
Harris’s sparrow range map. Compliments of The Cornell Lab.