Grassland sparrow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grassland sparrow |
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Ammodramus
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| Species: |
humeralis
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The grassland sparrow (Ammodramus humeralis) is a small bird that belongs to the sparrow family. You can find these birds in many countries across South America. They live in places like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
These sparrows love open spaces. Their favorite homes are dry savannahs, which are like big grassy plains. They also live in grasslands that get wet during certain seasons, and in farm fields used for grazing animals.
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What Does It Look Like?
The grassland sparrow is a sturdy little bird. It has a fairly large head and a short tail. It grows to be about 13 centimeters (or 5 inches) long. Its wings are short, and its legs are quite long.
Its upper body is brownish-grey with black streaks, almost like stripes. The chest and sides are a soft greyish-buff or pinkish-buff color. Its belly is a dull white. Look closely, and you'll see a thin white ring around its eye. It also has a small yellow spot near its beak and another yellow spot where its wing bends.
Its Song
This sparrow has a unique song. It's high-pitched and sounds a bit sad or gentle. You might hear it sing "eee, telee, teeeee."
Similar Birds
The grassland sparrow looks a lot like another bird called the yellow-browed sparrow. However, the yellow-browed sparrow has more yellow on its face. Also, their songs are quite different, which helps tell them apart!
Where Does It Live?
This sparrow is originally from the western part of South America. As mentioned, its home range covers many countries. These include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
It prefers tall savannah grasslands. But it also lives in open fields where animals graze, and in a type of grassland called cerrado in Brazil. You can find these birds in low-lying areas. They also live at higher places, up to about 1,100 meters (or 3,600 feet) above sea level. In southern Venezuela, they might even live higher up!
How Does It Behave?
The grassland sparrow is a bit shy. It likes to stay hidden in the grass. When it's looking for food, it stays on the ground. If something scares it, it quickly flies away into the plants to hide.
You might spot it when it's singing from a high spot, like a tall blade of grass or a small bush. It also comes out into the open to eat in the early morning and late evening.
What Does It Eat?
This bird mainly eats seeds from different grasses and other plants. During the time of year when they are raising their young, they also eat small insects.
Reproduction and Nesting
When it's time to build a nest, the grassland sparrow makes a cup-shaped nest. It builds this nest right on the ground. To keep its nest secret, it often creates a little path or "runway" through the plants leading right to it. This helps it sneak in and out without being noticed.
What Is Its Status?
The grassland sparrow is a very common bird. It lives across a huge area, so there are many of them. Scientists don't know of any big threats to this bird right now. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says its conservation status is "least concern." This means they are not worried about it becoming endangered anytime soon.
