Lincoln's Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow is a subtly beautiful, secretive sparrow, often praised by birders for its neat, finely detailed plumage. A broad buffy-orange wash crosses the breast and flanks, finely streaked with crisp black lines, and set off by a gray face with a buffy eye-ring and a fine gray-and-buff crown stripe.

Compared to the closely related Song and Swamp Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrow appears smaller, neater, and more finely marked, with an overall crisp, delicate pattern rather than bold, heavy streaking.

Key field marks

• Broad buffy wash across the breast and flanks with fine, crisp black streaking
• Gray face with a buffy eye-ring
• Fine, neat streaking overall, giving a delicate appearance
• Often raises a slight crest on the crown when alert

Similar species

• Song Sparrow is larger with coarser, heavier streaking on a whiter (not buffy) breast, often forming a central blotch.
• Swamp Sparrow has a plain gray, unstreaked breast and richer rufous wings, unlike Lincoln's finely streaked buffy breast band.

Lincoln's Sparrows breed across the boreal forest of Canada and Alaska, and in shrubby subalpine meadows and bogs of the western mountains and parts of the northeastern US, favoring wet, shrubby areas with dense low cover. They are among the more secretive sparrows even on their breeding grounds.

During migration and winter the species occurs across most of the United States, Mexico, and Central America, staying low and hidden in dense brush, weedy field edges, and thickets, and is often overlooked despite being fairly common.

Lincoln's Sparrows are notably shy and skulking, typically staying low in dense vegetation and diving for cover at the slightest disturbance rather than perching in the open like some other sparrows. Patient, quiet observation is usually needed to get a good look.

The song is a rich, bubbling, wren-like warble, often delivered with more musical complexity and variability than the songs of related sparrows; the call is a flat, dry "tsup." Diet consists mainly of insects during the breeding season, shifting toward seeds in migration and winter. Nests are well concealed on or near the ground in dense low vegetation, often in mossy or boggy areas, with typical clutches of three to five eggs.