Bird
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Lives in Alabama all year and nests here. Found in all 67 counties, across 13 habitats.
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 67 counties
- Habitats
- 13

At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 67 counties
- Habitats
- 13
- Habitat models
- Summer, Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in Alabama 13
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.



Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.
Open, wet, seepage-fed bogs of the Coastal Plain and Sandhills, often with pitcher plants.
Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)
Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.
Streams, rivers and their banks
Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.
Tree plantations and managed pine
Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.
Other habitats in its models (102)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Alabama.
- Developed, Low Intensity Summer and winter.
- Southwestern Great Plains Canyon Summer and winter.
- Southwest Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Winter.
- Southeast Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Summer and winter.
- East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland Winter.
- East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Winter.
- Edwards Plateau Limestone Savanna and Woodland Winter.
- Mississippi Delta Maritime Forest Winter.
- Western Great Plains Wooded Draw and Ravine Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Maritime Forest Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Maritime Forest Summer and winter.
- Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland Winter.
- Southern Appalachian Montane Pine Forest and Woodland Winter.
- East-Central Texas Plains Pine Forest and Woodland Winter.
- Tamaulipan Mixed Deciduous Thornscrub Winter.
- Tamaulipan Mesquite Upland Scrub Winter.
- Tamaulipan Calcareous Thornscrub Winter.
- Western Great Plains Mesquite Woodland and Shrubland Winter.
- Central Mixedgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- North-Central Interior Sand and Gravel Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Central Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Southern Blackland Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland Summer and winter.
- Southwest Florida Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
- Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Winter.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dune and Swale Summer and winter.
- Central and Upper Texas Coast Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
- Recently Logged Areas Summer and winter.
- Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Forest Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Grassland Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Shrubland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Shrub Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland and Forbland Summer and winter.
- Modified/Managed Southern Tall Grassland Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Summer and winter.
- Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Pine Modifier Summer and winter.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Clethra Modifier Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Summer and winter.
- South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Winter.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
- Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Seep Winter.
- Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Wooded Swamp Summer and winter.
- South Florida Mangrove Swamp Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp Winter.
- South Florida Bayhead Swamp Winter.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Taxodium/Nyssa Modifier Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Oak Dominated Modifier Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Summer and winter.
- South Florida Dwarf Cypress Savanna Winter.
- Southern and Central Appalachian Bog and Fen Winter.
- South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Winter.
- Texas Saline Coastal Prairie Winter.
- Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Summer and winter.
- Lower Mississippi River Bottomland Depressions - Forest Modifier Winter.
- South Florida Cypress Dome Winter.
- Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Summer and winter.
- Mississippi River Bottomland Depression Winter.
- South Florida Freshwater Slough and Gator Hole Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Winter.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Greasewood Flat Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.
- Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.
- Tamaulipan Riparian Systems Winter.
- Mississippi River Riparian Forest Winter.
- Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- Red River Large Floodplain Forest Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Slough Winter.
- Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest Winter.
- Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Winter.
- Central Florida Pine Flatwoods Winter.
Seasons in Alabama
- Year-round: nests here, in 27 of 67 counties.
- Winter: does not nest here, in 52 of 67 counties.
Also found in this habitat
Plants 750
Plants named in NatureServe descriptions of these habitats that grow in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food.
- Eastern LeatherwoodDirca palustris
- Log FernDryopteris celsa
- Three-way SedgeDulichium arundinaceum
- Slim SpikerushEleocharis elongata
- Canada Wild-ryeElymus canadensis
- Eastern Bottlebrush-grassElymus hystrix
- Green-fly OrchidEpidendrum conopseum
- Flattened PipewortEriocaulon compressum
- American Strawberry-bushEuonymus americanus
- Late-flowering ThoroughwortEupatorium serotinum
- Eurybia eryngiifoliaEurybia eryngiifolia
- Sweet Joe-pye-weedEutrochium purpureum
- Fuirena longaFuirena longa
- Fuirena scirpoideaFuirena scirpoidea
- Littleleaf MilkpeaGalactia microphylla
- White AvensGeum canadense
- Lobed Barren-strawberryGeum lobatum
- Water LocustGleditsia aquatica
- Water-spider OrchidHabenaria repens
- American Witch-hazelHamamelis virginiana
- Savanna SneezeweedHelenium vernale
- Paleleaf SunflowerHelianthus strumosus
- Smooth OxeyeHeliopsis helianthoides
- Largeleaf PennywortHydrocotyle bonariensis
Wildlife 253
Other animals whose habitat models include the same habitats in Alabama. Not sighting records.
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- European StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticorax
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagica
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Yellow-crowned Night-heronNyctanassa violacea
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- American GoldfinchCarduelis tristis
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
NatureServe Explorer, CC BY 4.0. USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models.
Sources
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS GAP winter habitat model for Song Sparrow
- USGS Gap Analysis Project range maps (2001), modeled by watershed; migratory gives no dates
- NatureServe Explorer (CC BY 4.0), habitat names
- US Census TIGER/Line counties
- Names follow the USGS Gap Analysis Project (2001)









































