Bird
Field Sparrow
Spizella pusilla
Lives in Louisiana all year and nests here. Found in all 64 parishes, across 5 habitats.
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 64 parishes
- Habitats
- 5

At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 64 parishes
- Habitats
- 5
- Habitat models
- Summer, Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in Louisiana 5
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.
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.
Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.
Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Other habitats in its models (42)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Louisiana. Those recorded in Louisiana first, the rest by region.
In Louisiana 1
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Catahoula Barrens Winter.
Elsewhere in the South (16)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland Summer.
- Cumberland Sandstone Glade and Barrens Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Dune and Coastal Grassland Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet Prairie Winter.
- Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer.
- Florida Dry Prairie Summer and winter.
- Florida Panhandle Beach Vegetation Winter.
- Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub Winter.
- Nashville Basin Limestone Glade Summer.
- Ridge and Valley Calcareous Valley Bottom Glade and Woodland Summer.
- Southern Piedmont Glade and Barrens Summer.
- Southwest Florida Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Nepheline Syenite Glade Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
Northeast (3)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer.
- Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland Summer.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dune and Swale Summer.
Land cover and other classes (22)
- Developed, Low Intensity Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Woodland Modifier Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Prairie and Woodland Summer and winter.
- Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Summer and winter.
- Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland and Forbland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Shrub Summer and winter.
- Orchards Vineyards and Other High Structure Agriculture Winter.
- Recently Burned Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Forest Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Grassland Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Shrubland Summer and winter.
- Recently Logged Areas Summer and winter.
- Unconsolidated Shore Winter.
- Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Winter.
- The model distinguishes abandoned fields from actively planted row crops.
Seasons in Louisiana
- Year-round: nests here, in 36 of 64 parishes.
- Winter: does not nest here, in 40 of 64 parishes.
Food plants
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Plants matched by genus.
Native plants in these genera 97
- Hall's PanicgrassPanicum hallii var. filipes
- Panicum bergiiPanicum bergii
- Stalked PanicgrassPanicum rigidulum subsp. elongatum
- Beaked PanicgrassPanicum anceps
- Bitter PanicgrassPanicum amarum
- Fall PanicgrassPanicum dichotomiflorum
- Old-witch PanicgrassPanicum capillare
- Panicum tenerumPanicum tenerum
- Panicum virgatum var. virgatumPanicum virgatum var. virgatum
- Redtop PanicgrassPanicum rigidulum
- SwitchgrassPanicum virgatum
- Wiry PanicgrassPanicum flexile
- Shaggy CrabgrassDigitaria villosa
- Slender CrabgrassDigitaria filiformis
- Common Threeseed MercuryAcalypha rhomboidea
- Pineland Threeseed MercuryAcalypha ostryifolia
- Slender Threeseed MercuryAcalypha gracilens
- Virginia Threeseed MercuryAcalypha virginica
- Hairy Woodland BromeBromus pubescens
- Field ThistleCirsium discolor
- Tall ThistleCirsium altissimum
- Carolina ThistleCirsium carolinianum
- LeConte's ThistleCirsium lecontei
- Nuttall's ThistleCirsium nuttallii
Plant genera in its diet records (17)
- Panicum Seeds. 7 diet records. 12 native plants in Louisiana
- Deschampsia Seeds. 4 diet records. 0 native plants in Louisiana
- Digitaria Seeds. 3 diet records. 2 native plants in Louisiana
- Acalypha Seeds. 2 diet records. 4 native plants in Louisiana
- Bromus Seeds. 2 diet records. 1 native plant in Louisiana
- Cirsium Seeds. 2 diet records. 8 native plants in Louisiana
- Danthonia Seeds. 2 diet records. 2 native plants in Louisiana
- Festuca Seeds. 2 diet records. 2 native plants in Louisiana
- Oxalis Seeds. 2 diet records. 5 native plants in Louisiana
- Poa Seeds. 2 diet records. 3 native plants in Louisiana
- Rumex Seeds. 2 diet records. 4 native plants in Louisiana
- Setaria Seeds. 2 diet records. 3 native plants in Louisiana
- Sorghastrum Seeds. 2 diet records. 2 native plants in Louisiana
- Avena 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Louisiana
- Chloris Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Louisiana
- Cyperus Seeds. 1 diet record. 32 native plants in Louisiana
- Euphorbia Seeds. 1 diet record. 17 native plants in Louisiana
Also found in its main habitats
Its main habitats in Louisiana, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Birds 139
- Cape May WarblerDendroica tigrina
- Greater RoadrunnerGeococcyx californianus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Inca DoveColumbina inca
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachus
- Smith's LongspurCalcarius pictus
- Upland SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- Western Burrowing OwlAthene cunicularia hypugaea
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneus
Plants 958
- Muck SunflowerHelianthus simulans
- Canada LettuceLactuca canadensis
- Annual FleabaneErigeron annuus
- Common Evening-primroseOenothera biennis
- Cutleaf Evening-primroseOenothera laciniata
- Dog-fennelEupatorium capillifolium
- Threadleaf SundropsOenothera linifolia
- Carolina Crane's-billGeranium carolinianum
- Golden CrownbeardVerbesina encelioides
- Blackeyed SusanRudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima
- Downy Ground-cherryPhysalis pubescens
- Gray Ground-cherryPhysalis grisea
Forest edges and thickets
Birds 80
- Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Blue-winged WarblerVermivora pinus
- Chestnut-sided WarblerDendroica pensylvanica
- Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysoptera
- Magnolia WarblerDendroica magnolia
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufus
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- Bell's VireoVireo bellii
- Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
Plants 131
- Southern DewberryRubus trivialis
- Buffalo CloverTrifolium reflexum
- Cutleaf GoldenrodSolidago arguta
- Hairy LettuceLactuca hirsuta
- Saltmarsh Morning-gloryIpomoea sagittata
- Earleaf GreenbrierSmilax auriculata
- Trailing LespedezaLespedeza procumbens
- Creeping LespedezaLespedeza repens
- Violet LespedezaLespedeza frutescens
- Wand LespedezaLespedeza violacea
- Hairy Small-leaf Tick-trefoilDesmodium ciliare
- Hoary Tick-trefoilDesmodium canescens
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Birds 169
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Black-chinned HummingbirdArchilochus alexandri
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneus
- Black RailLaterallus jamaicensis
- Chestnut-sided WarblerDendroica pensylvanica
- Magnolia WarblerDendroica magnolia
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
Plants 20
- Slender FimbryFimbristylis autumnalis
- Purple SpikerushEleocharis atropurpurea
- Blue MistflowerConoclinium coelestinum
- BagpodGlottidium vesicarium
- Tropical FlatsedgeCyperus surinamensis
- Blunt Spike RushEleocharis obtusa
- False DaisyEclipta prostrata
- Bristly SedgeCarex comosa
- Shortbeak BeaksedgeRhynchospora nitens
- Southern Marsh YellowcressRorippa teres
- Sensitive FernOnoclea sensibilis
- Ditch FimbryFimbristylis schoenoides
Sources
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS GAP winter habitat model for Field Sparrow Avoids forest interior
- 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)
- Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab) (CC0 1.0), diet records by plant genus




































































