Lincoln's Sparrow

This Lincoln’s Sparrow was in our Aldea yard over the last week or so. It was scurrying under bushes, flowers, and native grasses looking for seeds and insects in typical sparrow fashion. I finally managed to get some close ups of this beautiful sparrow just by luck recently.

Generally they are not common here and they migrate on through the Santa Fe area on the way to Mexico and winter destinations further south. Their summer breeding range extends up into almost all of Canada and Alaska. Although they can also be found during summer in the Rockies and extreme northern New Mexico. They can winter along the west coast of the U.S.

I actually had a difficult time identifying what sparrow this was and then I heard from other Aldea community members they have seen them here recently too. The bird was named by Audubon after his friend, Thomas Lincoln. Lincoln shot the bird on a trip to Nova Scotia with Audubon in 1834. Audubon named it in Tom’s honor.

They are a very secretive bird and they are often not seen or heard even where they are common. I feel lucky to have snapped a few close-ups of this one. 

Lincoln’s Sparrows are monogamous solitary nesters. They are a medium-sized sparrow with dark-streaked, pale brown, light buff-orange underparts and white further underparts with dark streaks. The head had a brown crown with a gray central stripe and a pale eye-ring. There is a brown streak extending behind the eye. Upper mandible is dark and lower mandible is orange-brown. Sexes are similar. 

Click on photos to enlarge.