Harris’s Sparrow

Breeding Adult
Cheeks, supercilium, and nape light gray. Complete or mostly complete black crown. Black extends into malar, supraloral and lores. 



Non-breeding Adult
Black throat marking it as an adult. Black crown is edged in white, the cheeks and nape brown, malar, supraloral and lores mostly brown

Immature / First Winter

Average less black in the crown than non-breeding adults and a contrasting pale throat with small amounts of variable black flicking. Variable brown to the bib and neck border. 

Shape Profile:
One of our largest Sparrows. Bulky chests with large squared heads typical of the genus. Medium long, slightly rounded tails.

Head Profile:
Large thick based bright orange bill. Large somewhat flat-topped squared head

Non – breeding:
Cheeks and supercilium brown, non-contrasting in color to each other. Eyestripe rusty orange, thin, and ending in a sideways chevron shape that runs parallel with the nape. Malar slightly lighter brown than cheek. Contrasting black throat.

First winter:
Average less black in the crown and show a contrasting white throat.

Breeding:
Black extends from the crown down the face onto the breast and back to just midway to the eye.

Breast / Belly / Flank Pattern:
Splotchy black bib that extends down just to the middle of the breast. Flanks showing a mix of thick dark rusty and black streaking on tannish backing in non-breeding/immature birds and thick black streaking on buff to grayish flanks in breeding adults.

Back Pattern:
Thick black streaking on a goldish brown background. Wing coverts show the black centered white edged “dotted” wingbar appearance typical of the genus. Rump brownish.

Behavior:
Typically found in small to large flocks that are mostly pure but occasionally with other sparrow species often those of the same genus. Can occasionally be found solitary. Searches for food by scratching with both feet in small but fairly forceful backwards hoping motion. Can be heard giving a loud series of descending whistles followed by short buzzes nearing the end of their wintering months.