| Pine-wood Sparrow
favors long leaf piney woods By Jay V.
Huner |
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During March, birders trek to the open piney woods, especially long-leaf pine forests, in search of singing Bachman's Sparrows. These are very plain "little balls of brown feathers" but there is nothing plain about the male's song - described below. However, the birds are sure hard to find even when they are singing very close to you. I prefer to paraphrase information sources that I use when writing articles but just cannot improve on Professor George Lowery, Jr.'s eloquent description of this songster, once called the Pine-woods Sparrow. "One of the most melodious sounds to be heard anywhere is the clear, ethereal medley that resounds through our pine forests when the Bachman's or Pine-woods Sparrow pours forth its song. It is most frequently rendered early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when the woods are quiet save for the gentle murmur of a slight breeze through the pine boughs. One author interprets it as che-e-e-e-de, de, de; che-e- chee-o, chee-o. Although doubtless recognizable as a reasonable transliteration of the bird's song by anyone already familiar with it, the words do not suffice to describe its quality to the uninitiated." * George H. Lowery, Jr., 1974. 3rd edition, Louisiana Birds. Published for the Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries Commission by Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, LA. The male Bachman's Sparrow sings to establish its territory and attract a female as a nest mate. These sparrows seek knee to waist high grass for nesting sites beneath a pine canopy. This habitat develops several years after pine woods are burned to control under-growth. Bachman's Sparrows are found throughout the South's piney woods. They can be located with some effort in many of the Kissatchie National Forest units in central Louisiana and pine woods in the state's Florida parishes. U.S. Forest Service and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists are good resources to locate singing sparrows. Check with state and federal biologists in other states to locate Bachman's Sparrows. Biologists characterize Bachman's Sparrows as being nearly Threatened because numbers are low and suitable breeding habitat is limited. If the sparrows were listed as Threatened, considerable effort would be expended under Federal Threatened and Endangered species legislation. This situation explains why avid birders from outside the South are eager to visit our region to add Bachman's Sparrow to their Life Lists. And, while they are in the area, they are able to often locate the Brown-headed Nuthatch and the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Both species are normally found in the same habitat that favors Bachman's Sparrows. Bachman's Sparrow is a large sparrow about 5-6 inches long with a 7 inch wingspan. The bill is long and stout. Color is chestnut above with a complex pattern of gray streaks alternating with rusty brown streaks marked with black. There is a pale gray stripe above the eye with some hard to see streaking on the crown and face. Color below is mostly grayish brown. There is no streaking on the breast which separates this resident sparrow from most of the sparrows that winter in the area. But, don't be confused if you find large sparrows in Bachman's Sparrow habitat during the summer and fall that have distinct white eye rings, streaked throats, breasts and sides. These are the fledglings that have not molted into adult plumage. Jay V. Huner |
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