Birds of Concern: Henslows Sparrow

Henslow's Sparrow

The Henslow's Sparrow is a grassland bird found locally throughout the eastern United States and southern Ontario. They prefer large grasslands with think cover and a well-developed litter layer. Their diet consists of seeds of various grasses in the summer months and caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, centipedes, spiders, and crickets.

Areas of Concern:

• Loss of breeding grassland habitat from a variety of causes including development, agriculture, transportation, and woody encroachment.
• Reduced nest success associated with increased predation.
• Loss of longleaf pine savanna wintering habitat and reduced quality of existing winter habitat due to fire suppression.

Workshop Summary (PDF) - Summary of the Henslow's Sparrow Workshop Held March 7-8, 2007.
Location Database (Excel Spreadsheet) - Database Showing Recent Henslow's Sparrow Locations. Send Corrections or Additions to Tom Cooper, see contact information below.
Henslow's Sparrow Fact Sheet (PDF) - Fact Sheet Describing the Importance of the Conservation Reserve Program to Henslow's Sparrow.
More information on the Biology of the Henslow's Sparrow is available on the USGS web site.