Bird
Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
A summer resident that nests in West Virginia. Found in all 55 counties, across 4 habitats.
- Here
- Summer
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 55 counties
- Habitats
- 4
At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- Summer
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 55 counties
- Habitats
- 4
- Habitat models
- Summer, Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in West Virginia 4
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 4
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.
Treeless grassy or shrubby summits and ridges in the high mountains.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Other habitats in its models (158)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in West Virginia. Those recorded in West Virginia first, the rest by region.
Elsewhere in the South (52)
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Interdunal Wetland Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Sea Island Beach Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Beach Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Wet Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Xeric River Dune Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Central and Upper Texas Coast Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
- Central Atlantic Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Winter.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Seep Winter.
- Central Florida Pine Flatwoods Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet Prairie Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loblolly-Hardwood Flatwoods Winter.
- East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland Winter.
- Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Florida Dry Prairie Winter.
- Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
- Louisiana Beach Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Winter.
- Mississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
- South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Winter.
- South Florida Freshwater Slough and Gator Hole Winter.
- South Florida Pine Flatwoods Winter.
- South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Winter.
- South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- Southeast Florida Beach Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Southern and Central Appalachian Bog and Fen Summer.
- Southern Blackland Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Southwest Florida Beach Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Southwest Florida Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
- Tamaulipan Savanna Grassland Winter.
- Texas Coastal Bend Beach Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Texas Saline Coastal Prairie Winter.
- Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Winter.
- Upper Texas Coast Beach Winter, beside its main habitat.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Catahoula Barrens Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Nepheline Syenite Glade Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Winter.
- Western Great Plains Floodplain Summer and winter.
Northeast (9)
- Acadian-Appalachian Alpine Tundra Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Sandy Beach Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Summer and winter.
- Great Lakes Freshwater Estuary and Delta Summer.
- Laurentian-Acadian Freshwater Marsh Summer.
- North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dune and Swale Summer and winter.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Heathland and Grassland Summer and winter.
Midwest (14)
- Central Mixedgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Central Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Great Lakes Alvar Summer.
- Great Lakes Dune Summer.
- Great Lakes Wet-Mesic Lakeplain Prairie Summer.
- Great Plains Prairie Pothole Summer and winter.
- North-Central Interior Sand and Gravel Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Northern Great Lakes Coastal Marsh Summer.
- Northern Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Open Freshwater Depression Wetland Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Saline Depression Wetland Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Sand Prairie Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
West (52)
- Apacherian-Chihuahuan Semi-Desert Grassland and Steppe Winter.
- California Central Valley and Southern Coastal Grassland Summer and winter.
- California Central Valley Mixed Oak Savanna Winter.
- California Coastal Live Oak Woodland and Savanna Winter.
- California Mesic Serpentine Grassland Summer and winter.
- California Northern Coastal Grassland Summer and winter.
- Chihuahuan Gypsophilous Grassland and Steppe Winter.
- Chihuahuan Sandy Plains Semi-Desert Grassland Winter.
- Chihuahuan-Sonoran Desert Bottomland and Swale Grassland Winter.
- Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland Summer and winter.
- Columbia Basin Palouse Prairie Summer and winter.
- Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland Summer and winter.
- Great Basin Foothill and Lower Montane Riparian Woodland and Shrubland Winter.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Alkaline Closed Depression Summer and winter.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe Summer and winter.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Interdunal Swale Wetland Summer and winter.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe Summer and winter.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Playa Summer and winter.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Grassland Summer and winter.
- Mediterranean California Serpentine Fen Summer and winter.
- Mediterranean California Serpentine Foothill and Lower Montane Riparian Woodland and Seep Summer and winter.
- Mediterranean California Subalpine Meadow Summer and winter.
- Mediterranean California Subalpine-Montane Fen Summer and winter.
- North American Arid West Emergent Marsh Summer and winter.
- North American Warm Desert Lower Montane Riparian Woodland and Shrubland Summer and winter.
- North American Warm Desert Riparian Woodland and Shrubland Summer and winter.
- North Pacific Bog and Fen Summer and winter.
- North Pacific Herbaceous Bald and Bluff Summer and winter.
- North Pacific Hypermaritime Shrub and Herbaceous Headland Summer and winter.
- North Pacific Intertidal Freshwater Wetland Summer and winter.
- North Pacific Maritime Coastal Sand Dune and Strand Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- North Pacific Montane Grassland Summer and winter.
- North Pacific Shrub Swamp Summer and winter.
- Northern California Claypan Vernal Pool Summer and winter.
- Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane, Foothill and Valley Grassland Summer.
- Northern Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Upper Montane Grassland Summer.
- Rocky Mountain Alpine-Montane Wet Meadow Summer and winter.
- Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Montane Fen Summer and winter.
- Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Montane Mesic Meadow Summer and winter.
- Southern Rocky Mountain Juniper Woodland and Savanna Winter.
- Southern Rocky Mountain Montane-Subalpine Grassland Summer and winter.
- Temperate Pacific Freshwater Emergent Marsh Summer and winter.
- Temperate Pacific Freshwater Mudflat Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Temperate Pacific Intertidal Mudflat Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Temperate Pacific Montane Wet Meadow Summer and winter.
- Temperate Pacific Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Closed Depression Wetland Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Foothill and Piedmont Grassland Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
- Willamette Valley Upland Prairie and Savanna Summer and winter.
- Willamette Valley Wet Prairie Summer and winter.
- Wyoming Basins Dwarf Sagebrush Shrubland and Steppe Summer and winter.
Land cover and other classes (31)
- Acadian Salt Marsh and Estuary Systems Summer.
- Arkansas Valley Prairie and Woodland Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Plain Dry Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Prairie and Woodland Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Winter.
- Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Summer and winter.
- Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Summer and winter.
- Great Lakes Coastal Marsh Systems Summer.
- Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain Tidal Marsh Systems Summer and winter.
- Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Summer and winter.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub Steppe Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland 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.
- Modified/Managed Southern Tall Grassland Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Grassland Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Shrubland Summer and winter.
- South Texas Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
- South Texas Sand Sheet Grassland Winter.
- Tamaulipan Clay Grassland Winter.
- Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Slough Winter.
- Unconsolidated Shore Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Unconsolidated Shore (Beach/Dune) Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
Seasons in West Virginia
- Summer: nests here, in all 55 counties.
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 4
- Little BarleyHordeum pusillum
- Carolina HorsenettleSolanum carolinense var. carolinense
- Solanum ptychanthumSolanum ptychanthum
- Carolina HorsenettleSolanum carolinense
Plant genera in its diet records (4)
Also found in its main habitats
Its main habitats in West Virginia, 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 96
- Cape May WarblerDendroica tigrina
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Upland SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- DunlinCalidris alpina
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Hoary RedpollCarduelis hornemanni
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Ring-necked PheasantPhasianus colchicus
Plants 905
- Pussy WillowSalix discolor
- Crooked-stem AsterSymphyotrichum prenanthoides
- Long Stalk AsterSymphyotrichum dumosum var. dumosum
- Canada LettuceLactuca canadensis
- Annual FleabaneErigeron annuus
- Bushy KnotweedPolygonum ramosissimum subsp. prolificum
- Carey's KnotweedPersicaria careyi
- Carolina Crane's-billGeranium carolinianum
- Common Evening-primroseOenothera biennis
- Cutleaf Evening-primroseOenothera laciniata
- Northern Evening-primroseOenothera parviflora
- Oakes Evening PrimroseOenothera oakesiana
All of roadsides, fields and disturbed ground in West Virginia
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Birds 120
- Northern WaterthrushSeiurus noveboracensis
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- DunlinCalidris alpina
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- King RailRallus elegans
Plants 12
- Slender FimbryFimbristylis autumnalis
- Blue MistflowerConoclinium coelestinum
- False DaisyEclipta prostrata
- Intermediate Spike RushEleocharis intermedia
- Blunt Spike RushEleocharis obtusa
- Bristly SedgeCarex comosa
- Sensitive FernOnoclea sensibilis
- Heart Leaf WillowSalix eriocephala
- Cuscuta gronovii var. gronoviiCuscuta gronovii var. gronovii
- European Gray WillowSalix cinerea
- Ricefield FlatsedgeCyperus iria
- White WillowSalix alba
Forest edges and thickets
Birds 63
- Hoary RedpollCarduelis hornemanni
- House FinchCarpodacus mexicanus
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Wilson's WarblerWilsonia pusilla
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- Henslow's SparrowAmmodramus henslowii
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- Palm WarblerDendroica palmarum
- Ring-necked PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
Plants 204
- Bristly BlackberryRubus setosus
- Rubus invisusRubus invisus
- Tall LarkspurDelphinium exaltatum
- Northeastern BindweedCalystegia sepium subsp. americana
- Canada PlumPrunus nigra
- ChokecherryPrunus virginiana var. virginiana
- Fire CherryPrunus pensylvanica
- Silky DogwoodCornus obliqua
- Giant SunflowerHelianthus giganteus
- Gray DogwoodCornus racemosa
- Buffalo CloverTrifolium reflexum
- Cutleaf GoldenrodSolidago arguta
Sources
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS GAP winter habitat model for Savannah 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)
- Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab) (CC0 1.0), diet records by plant genus