Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow has declined: down 38% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Song Sparrow
A streaky, richly singing sparrow found in brushy and wet places across most of the continent, the Song Sparrow is one of the most variable and widespread of American sparrows.
- Size
- 4.5–6.5 in long, about 0.7 oz (12–17 cm, 20 g)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and seeds taken on or near the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 2,876 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 45 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Passerellidae · Forest birds
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Notable Song Sparrow Trends
No notable trend signals for Song Sparrow. See the full index history below.
Song Sparrow Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Song Sparrow is projected to fall about 19% by 2029 — from 10.0 in 2024 to a central estimate of 8.1 (95% range 6.5–9.7). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±9.7%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8.5 | 7.0 | 10 |
| 2026 | 8.4 | 6.9 | 10.0 |
| 2027 | 8.3 | 6.8 | 9.9 |
| 2028 | 8.2 | 6.7 | 9.8 |
| 2029 | 8.1 | 6.5 | 9.7 |
Where the Song Sparrow Is Detected
BBS routes recording Song Sparrow, sized by most recent count.
Song Sparrow Population Trend by State
| Alabama | 21× | 1971 | 33 |
| Alaska | -47% | 1978 | 57 |
| Arizona | +131% | 1972 | 29 |
| Arkansas | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| California | +29% | 1970 | 205 |
| Colorado | -13% | 1970 | 115 |
| Connecticut | -33% | 1968 | 20 |
| Delaware | -14% | 1968 | 17 |
| Georgia | +82% | 1971 | 47 |
| Idaho | +74% | 1970 | 61 |
| Illinois | -17% | 1968 | 105 |
| Indiana | -13% | 1968 | 69 |
| Iowa | +5% | 1969 | 39 |
| Kansas | -56% | 1974 | 12 |
| Kentucky | +45% | 1968 | 63 |
| Maine | -47% | 1968 | 77 |
| Maryland | +31% | 1968 | 75 |
| Massachusetts | +5% | 1968 | 32 |
| Michigan | -51% | 1968 | 108 |
| Minnesota | -16% | 1969 | 92 |
| Mississippi | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Missouri | +172% | 1969 | 66 |
| Montana | -21% | 1970 | 99 |
| Nebraska | +621% | 1969 | 52 |
| Nevada | +153% | 1972 | 34 |
| New Hampshire | +2% | 1968 | 26 |
| New Jersey | +16% | 1968 | 41 |
| New Mexico | -52% | 1970 | 16 |
| New York | -5% | 1968 | 129 |
| North Carolina | +54% | 1968 | 65 |
| North Dakota | +256% | 1969 | 51 |
| Ohio | -12% | 1968 | 89 |
| Oregon | -28% | 1970 | 134 |
| Pennsylvania | +9% | 1968 | 138 |
| Rhode Island | +50% | 1968 | 7 |
| South Carolina | +12% | 1969 | 17 |
| South Dakota | +188% | 1969 | 47 |
| Tennessee | +16% | 1968 | 45 |
| Utah | -52% | 1970 | 81 |
| Vermont | -17% | 1968 | 26 |
| Virginia | +32% | 1968 | 75 |
| Washington | -6% | 1970 | 112 |
| West Virginia | +10% | 1968 | 63 |
| Wisconsin | -18% | 1968 | 98 |
| Wyoming | +137% | 1970 | 104 |
Song Sparrow Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -71% | 1985 | 10 |
| BCR 4 | -98% | 1982 | 18 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -21% | 1970 | 149 |
| Great Basin | +34% | 1970 | 216 |
| Northern Rockies | +23% | 1970 | 207 |
| Prairie Potholes | +69% | 1969 | 117 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -43% | 1968 | 127 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -7% | 1968 | 86 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -21% | 1968 | 155 |
| Sierra Nevada | +22% | 1973 | 31 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +0% | 1970 | 171 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +144% | 1969 | 94 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -53% | 1974 | 29 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +426% | 1969 | 37 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -40% | 1968 | 248 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -16% | 1968 | 161 |
| Central Hardwoods | +50% | 1968 | 122 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | -19% | 1969 | 10 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -53% | 1968 | 47 |
| Appalachian Mountains | +7% | 1968 | 390 |
| Piedmont | -9% | 1968 | 140 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +3% | 1968 | 159 |
| Coastal California | +135% | 1970 | 108 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +99% | 1970 | 30 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | +38% | 1984 | 10 |
Song Sparrow Conservation Status
Least Concern
The IUCN Red List rates this species as Least Concern. Our route-weighted index shows it down about 38% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.