Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) is in the New World Sparrows family (Passerellidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 85,631 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in April.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: seasonal. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph Chipping Sparrow: observations by month (U.S.)

About Chipping Sparrow

The chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina) is a species of American sparrow, a passerine bird in the family Emberizidae. It is widespread, fairly tame, and common across most of its North American range. There are two subspecies, the eastern chipping sparrow and the western chipping sparrow. This bird is a partial migrant with northerly populations flying southwards in the fall to overwinter in Mexico and the southern United States, and flying northward again in spring. It molts...From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Chipping Sparrow by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related birds (New World Sparrows)

Song SparrowMelospiza melodia

Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis

White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys

White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis

Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis

Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus

California TowheeMelozone crissalis

Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus

Photography tips

• Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s or faster) for birds in flight.
• Focus on the eye and shoot at the bird's eye level.
• Approach slowly and stop if the bird changes behavior; never bait or flush birds.
• Morning activity peaks in the first two hours after sunrise.

FAQ