Harris's Sparrow comes to Jim Wells County!
December 16, 2009
Harris's sparrow in Jim Wells County.
The Harris’s sparrow breeds in northern Canada and winters throughout the central and southern plains area. At 7.5 inches it is the largest sparrow found in the U.S. It often associates with white-crowned and white-throated sparrows, which like the Harris’s sparrow, belong to the genus Zonotrichia. In winter, they prefer brushy areas.
With the rather strong cold fronts that have moved through the South Texas region recently, large numbers of sparrows have moved south into our area. The Harris’s sparrow represents the 17th species of sparrow to be reported to the South Texas Wintering Birds program during this current winter season.
