Harris's Sparrow
Zonotrichia querula
The Harris's Sparrow is the only bird species that breeds exclusively within the borders of Canada.
- Scientific name
- Zonotrichia querula
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Passerellidae › Zonotrichia
- IUCN Red List status
- Near Threatened
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- tundra
- Habitat
- Breeds at the forest-tundra ecotone (taiga edge); winters in brushy grasslands, hedgerows, and riparian thickets.
- Diet
- Primarily seeds and berries during winter; insects and spiders during the summer breeding season.
- Range
- Canada (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Manitoba), United States (Great Plains region)
- Size
- Length: 17-20 cm; Wingspan: approx. 26 cm
- Lifespan
- 5-11 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss in wintering ranges due to agriculture and climate-driven shifts in the Arctic treeline.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Best observed from a distance with binoculars to avoid flushing the bird. If you encounter a grounded or injured bird, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.
The Harris's sparrow ( Zonotrichia querula ) is a large sparrow. Their breeding habitat is the north part of central Canada (primarily the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, ranging slightly into northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan). In fact, this bird is Canada's only endemic breeder. In the winter they migrate to the Great Plains states of the United States, from lower South Dakota to upper Texas. The common name of this species commemorates the American amateur ornithologist Edward Harris (1799–1863).
Photo: Michael D Fox, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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