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Zonotrichia querula

(Nuttall, 1840)

Harris's Sparrow

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Near threatenedIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101459
Element CodeABPBXA4050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNNear threatened
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations, but breeds in a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyPasserellidae
GenusZonotrichia
Synonyms
Zonotrichia querula querula
Other Common Names
Bruant à face noire (FR) Harris' Sparrow (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Mitochondrial DNA data indicate that relative to most congeneric avian comparisons, the five species of ZONOTRICHIA are closely related (Zink et al. 1991).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-10
Change Date1996-12-04
Range Extent Comments
BREEDING: northwestern and east-central Mackenzie and southern Keewatin south to northeastern Saskatchewan, northern Manitoba, and northwestern Ontario (Norment and Shackleton 1993, AOU 1998). NON-BREEDING: primarily northern Nebraska, South Dakota, and central Iowa south to south-central Texas, but also regularly north to southeastern Alaska, southern British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, northeastern Saskatchewan and North Dakota, west to southern California, southern Nevada, southern Utah, southern Arizona, and southern New Mexico, and east to western Tennessee, Arkansas, and northwestern Louisiana (Norment and Shackleton 1993, AOU 1998).
Threat Impact Comments
PREDATION: Preyed upon by shrikes (LANIUS spp.) in breeding and non-breeding habitat (Baumgartner 1968, Nice 1929, Norment 1992, 1994, Swenk and Stevens 1929). On the breeding grounds, gray jays (PERISOREUS CANADENSIS) also prey upon adults; merlins (FALCO COLUMBARIS), parasitic jaegers (STERCORARIUS PARASITICUS) and short-tailed weasels (MUSTELA ERMINEA) are suspected predators. Known nest predators include arctic ground squirrels (SPERMOPHILUS PARRYII) and short-tailed weasels; suspected nest predators include red squirrels (TAMIASCIURUS HUDSONICUS) and gray jays (Norment 1992). INCLEMENT WEATHER: Late snow storms can kill young in the nest (Jehl and Hussell 1966). FIRE: Fires can convert preferred lichen-spruce breeding habitat to lichen-tundra vegetation (Arsenault and Payette 1992). PARASITES: Known ectoparasites include nasal mites (PTILONYSCUS MOROFSKYI and P. SAIRAE), lice (RICINUS HASTATUS, R. FRINGILLAE, PHILOPTERUS SUBFLAVESCENS, and BRUELIA), ticks (HAEMAPHYSALIS) and fleas (CERATPHYLUS GAREI). The only known internal parasite is the blood protozoan, HAEMOPROTEUS (Norment and Shackleton 1993).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

BREEDING: Forest-tundra zone of northern Canada bounded on the south by a 1000:1 ratio of tree:upland tundra cover and on the north by a 1:1000 ratio of tree:upland tundra cover (Norment and Shackleton 1993, Timoney et al. 1992). Woody vegetation of this forest-tundra mosaic includes white spruce (PICEA GLAUCA), black spruce (P. MARIANA), larch (LARIX LARICINA), jack pine (PINUS BANKSIANA), paper birch (BETULA PAPYRIFERA), dwarf birch (BETULA GLANDULOSA), willow (SALIX spp.), alder (ALNUS spp.), Labrador tea (LEDUM spp.), bilberry (VACCINIUM ULIGINOSUM), mountain cranberry (VACCINIUM VITIS-IDAEA), and crowberry (EMPETRUM NIGRUM).

Nests are located on the ground, typically under a shrub that is on top of, or next to, a hummock. Nests may also be located beneath rock or turf overhangs (Norment and Shackleton 1993). In The Northwest Territories, most nests are concealed amid dwarf birch (68 percent), alder (8 percent) spruce (8 percent), and Labrador tea (8 percent; Norment 1992). In Manitoba, most nests are hidden by Labrador tea (53 percent), willow (11 percent), and dwarf birch (11 percent; Norment and Shackleton 1993). Nest entrances are often oriented to the southeast, opposite the direction of prevailing storms (Norment 1993, Norment and Shackleton 1993).

NON-BREEDING: Habitat descriptions from throughout the winter range include: thickets/brush bordering streams, edges of low woodlands, brush and brushy places, hedgerows, and willow thickets in ravines (Swenk and Stevens 1929). In Oklahoma, concentrates in forested ravines, thick shrubbery along creeks and at the edges of woods, brush piles, and vine-covered trees and thickets (Bridgwater 1966, Nice 1929). In Kansas, inhabits hedgerows (Graul 1967).

Ecology

Age at first breeding is unknown, but is probably one year as in other ZONOTRICHIA (Norment, pers. comm.). Longevity record is 11 years, 8 months (Norment and Shackleton 1993). Densities of breeding populations are estimated to be 0.025 territorial males per hectare, and 0.125-0.82 breeding pairs per hectare (Gillespie and Kendeigh 1982, Norment 1992, Norment and Shackleton 1993). The maximum number observed during a Christmas Bird Count was 26.1 birds per party hour (Root 1988). Numbers observed at particular localities during winter varies within and among years because birds frequently shift locations (Graul 1967). The sex ratio on the breeding grounds is 1:1 (Norment 1992).

In the Northwest Territories, overall return rate for banded birds (both sexes) to the breeding grounds was 38 percent. Males and females that nest successfully usually return to the same breeding area in subsequent years; some unsuccessful breeders also exhibit site fidelity. Males sometimes occupy the same nesting territory in different years, but females apparently do not (Norment 1994). Territories averaged 2 hectares, but birds foraged up to 500 meters outside territories (Norment 1992).

Reproduction

In the Northwest Territories, most nests are initiated during the second or third week in June, after the breeding habitat is at least 60 percent snow-free (Norment 1992). Only females build nests, incubate and brood young; both sexes feed young (Norment 1992, 1993). The incubation period is 12-13.5 days (mean = 12.8) and the nestling period is 8.5-10 days (mean = 9.2). Incubation extends through the first week of July, with hatching occurring in late June and early July, and fledging in early to mid-July (Norment 1992). Average clutch size for 155 clutches summarized by Norment (1992) is 4.07 eggs (range = three to five). Hatching among nests is relatively synchronous. In the Northwest Territories, the hatching rate was 76 percent, fledging rate was 62.5 percent, and overall nest success was 47.5 percent. The number of young fledged per pair was 2.07. Nest failure was due principally to predation (30 percent; Norment 1992). Successful nests are concealed in denser vegetation with thicker cover than depredated nests (Norment 1993). In Manitoba, hatching success of eggs was 89 percent (Jehl 1971) and the average nestling period was 8.9 days (Norment and Shackleton 1993). Lost clutches may be replaced (Norment 1992).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparralSavannaCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4B,NUN,N5M
ProvinceRankNative
NunavutS4BYes
SaskatchewanSUB,S5MYes
ManitobaS3BYes
British ColumbiaSUMYes
OntarioS2BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS3Yes
AlbertaSUMYes
United StatesN5N
ProvinceRankNative
North DakotaSNAYes
MichiganSNRNYes
AlabamaSNRNYes
MinnesotaSNRNYes
IdahoSNAYes
ArizonaS1NYes
OklahomaSNRNYes
OregonSNAYes
MissouriSNRNYes
Navajo NationS2NYes
ArkansasS3NYes
AlaskaSNAYes
KansasS4NYes
New MexicoS4NYes
CaliforniaSNAYes
ColoradoS4NYes
WisconsinSNAYes
LouisianaS2NYes
WyomingS5NYes
UtahS3NYes
IllinoisSNAYes
MontanaSNAYes
IndianaS1NYes
NebraskaS4NYes
WashingtonSNAYes
South DakotaSNAYes
IowaS4NYes
TexasS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)

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Roadless Areas (3)
Montana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Middle Mtn. / Tobacco RootsBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest96,487
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. Logan NorthWasatch-Cache National Forest18,930
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
Middle ForkMedicine Bow-Routt National Forest13,238
References (37)
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  3. Arsenault, D. and S. Payette. 1992. A post-fire shift from lichen-spruce to lichen-tundra vegetation at tree line. Ecology 73:1067-1081.
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