- ORDER: Passeriformes
- FAMILY: Passerellidae
Basic Description
A grayish-brown sparrow with a hint of an eyering, the Cassin’s Sparrow makes up for in musical performance what it lacks in bright colors. Breeding males sing a whistled melody while fluttering in midair, 20 feet high or more, above their territories. One naturalist wrote that the song had an “indescribable sweetness and pathos.” These fairly large sparrows live in the dry grasslands of the southern Great Plains, southwestern U.S., and northern Mexico, often moving around to take temporary advantage of good conditions after rainfall.
More ID InfoFind This Bird
Cassin’s Sparrows are furtive and can be hard to find as they forage at ground level in wide open spaces—so your best bet is to look and listen for them during spring and into summer, when males sing their distinctive song and display in the sky. According to some birders, the far-carrying song is sometimes audible even when driving at highway speeds with windows rolled up! At other times of year, a walk through brushy grasslands may flush a few Cassin’s, although they are just as likely to scamper away unseen.
Other Names
- Chingolo de Cassin (Spanish)
- Bruant de Cassin (French)