Clay-colored Sparrow

The clay-colored sparrow breeds in the open grasslands of central Canada and the north central United States. It is a ground foraging species, feeding primarily on seeds of grasses and weeds. They will also eat fruits, berries, buds and insects. They feed on insects more often later in the summer and also feed them to their young. Clay-colored sparrows often forage off of their territory and are sometimes mixed in with other species of sparrows. Because of this their breeding territory is generally smaller.  

Male clay-colored sparrows arrive on the breeding territory first. They are often seen perched on a bush singing to announce their territory to prospective rivals and seek a receptive female. Once a pair finds each other they are magnanimous for the season. The female builds cup shaped nest placed on the ground or low in a bush. Nesting occurres in June and July. As the temperature begins to turn cold the sparrows migrate south to their wintering grounds in Texas and Mexico.