the le contes sparrow , ammodramus leconteii , is one of the smallest sparrow species in north america .
it is a very secretive bird that prefers to spend most of its time on the ground under the cover of tall grasses .
they are typically very difficult to flush , often only flushing at a distance of 13 m as they prefer to run across the ground .
when they do emerge they rarely fly more than a foot or two above the grass and often descend again within a few meters .
because it is so rarely seen , there are still many gaps in knowledge about the le contes sparrow .
nests are often very hard to find , and individuals are more often identified by sound than by sight .
the le contes sparrow is a small sparrow with a relatively large head , short gray bill and short pointed tail .
it has a buffy yellow-orange face with gray cheeks , and a dark brown crown with a white central stripe .
the nape of the neck is lilac gray with chestnut streaks , and the back is streaked with brown and beige .
its belly is off white , while the breast and sides are a buffy orange-yellow with dark brown streaks .
the feet and legs are a brownish-pink color .
the le contes sparrow is a member of the order passerifomes , which are the perching birds , sometimes less accurately referred to as the songbirds .
it is from the family emberizidae , which is characterized by species of small birds with bills adapted to seed eating .
most members of this family are referred to as sparrows in north america and as buntings in europe .
within the sparrows , the le contes falls within the genus ammodramus , which are the ground loving sparrows , which prefer staying in tall , thick grasses to perching on trees .
all of the species for which the le contes is most easily confused (nelsons sparrow , grasshopper sparrow , etc) belong to this genus .
the le contes sparrow was discovered by john james audubon , and it was thought that he named this bird after a friend , doctor le conte .
it is generally believed that he meant john lawrence le conte , although some feel that he was referring to another john le conte , also a doctor , and john lawrence's cousin .
the le contes sparrow breeds in select areas of north eastern british columbia , across alberta , saskatchewan and southern manitoba as well as central ontario and into quebec; and as far south as northern michigan , montana and minnesota .
it winters in the south eastern united states; as far west as central texas and as far north as central illinois and missouri .
le contes sparrow prefers moist open grassy areas with sufficient vegetation cover to provide shelter .
known habitat use includes meadows , fields , crop stubble , shallow marshy edges , prairie , and occasionally fens and lake-shores within the boreal forest .
studies have shown that vegetation seems to have a greater impact on the abundance of this bird than other factors like climate or patch size .
winter et al .
(2005) says that it can be found at highest densities in areas with a moderate amounts of bare ground .
agriculture and drainage of these areas is currently the greatest threat to the le conte's sparrow .
the males song resembles a grasshopper buzz with a short squeaky introductory note and ending with a short chirp .
it is often described as tika-zzzzzzzzzzzz-tik while the call is a short tsip .
it is most commonly confused with the song of the nelson's sparrow .
the male generally sings from a concealed location , but can also be seen singing from the top of protruding grass stems , or occasionally in flight .
diet in the summer is mostly insects such as weevils , leafhoppers , leaf beetles , stinkbugs , caterpillars , moths and spiders .
during the winter time the main diet consists of seeds of grasses and weeds such as northern dropseed , indian grass , yellow foxtail , panic-grass , scorpion-grass , little bluestem , and big bluestem .
mating can start as early as late april but peaks in mid-may .
males will sing from the cover of dense grasses , perched on tall grass or in flight .
clutches range from two to six eggs with four being the most common .
incubation is done solely by the female , though both parents aid in feeding .
incubation lasts an average of 1113 days .
hatchlings are altricial with dull brown downy patches .
pairs will have one or two broods per year .
due to the secretive nature of this bird little is known about the period of time between hatching and fledging .
nests are built by the female and are cup shaped , made from fine grasses and lined with soft grass and hair .
they are usually attached to standing grasses or sedges and are built on or close to the ground .
