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The Chipping Sparrow is brown above and streaked with black, and grey below, on the rump, and on the sides of the face. Adult birds have a brown crown, white eye patch, and black line through the eye. Juvenile birds have a streaked crown, creamy eyebrow, and are duller below.
They live in open coniferous forests, feeding on grass seed, which grows on the forest floor. The Chipping Sparrow is not found in hardwood forests due to the tree structure and lack of ground light, which do not allow for the growth of grass.
They are known for their use of horsehair to line their nests in order to keep their young warm. Birds from the Algonquin Highlands use moose and deer hair as a lining for their nests of grass and stems. Nests are also placed on the southeast side of small spruce trees, catching the morning sun for quick warmth. The nest is filled with 3 to 5 pale blue, brown-spotted eggs.
The Chipping Sparrow migrates south for the winter, and its call is a musical trill, made from a single note.
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CHIPPING SPARROW
Spizella passerina
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