Photo: Alan D. Wilson / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Harris’s Sparrow
Zonotrichia querula
Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of North America.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Harris’s Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) is a member of the Passerellidae family found in North America. Adults weigh 35.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Passerellidae New World Sparrows
- Genus Zonotrichia
- Species querula
Quick facts
- Weight
- 35.5 g
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Passerellidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Harris’s Sparrow is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Harris’s Sparrow is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Harris’s Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) belongs to the Passerellidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across North America. Its distribution covers NA nc and c Canada.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 35.5 g, with a wing length of about 8.7 cm and a tail of around 8.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 1.7 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Harris’s Sparrow?
The Harris’s Sparrow is a small bird that weighs around 35.5 g.
Where does the Harris’s Sparrow live?
The Harris’s Sparrow is found across North America with a range covering NA nc and c Canada, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Harris’s Sparrow belong to?
The Harris’s Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) belongs to the Passerellidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Harris’s Sparrow eat?
The Harris’s Sparrow is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Harris’s Sparrow migrate?
The Harris’s Sparrow is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Harris’s Sparrow endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Harris’s Sparrow make?
1 real field recording of the Harris’s Sparrow — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Harris’s Sparrow's range?
The Harris’s Sparrow has a mapped global range of about 1.7 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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