Henslow's Sparrow

A tiny, sharp two-note song that sounds like a hiccup or a quick insect snap. Short, dry, and easy to miss unless you're listening for it.

It breeds in the Midwest, Great Lakes region, Northeast, and parts of southern Canada. In winter it moves to the Southeast, especially pine savannas, grassy fields, and coastal plain habitats.

It favors tall, dense grasslands with lots of old stems and deep litter underfoot. Look in wet meadows, prairies, hayfields, and overgrown fields that feel messy and undisturbed.

Spring and early summer are the best times to find one, when males sing from weed stalks or grass stems at dawn. The rest of the year it stays low and sneaky, often flushing only at the last second and dropping right back into cover.

A tiny, secretive sparrow of shaggy grasslands, Henslow's Sparrow feels more like a rustle than a bird. When it finally pops up, look for the olive-green face, chestnut wings, and a short tail, then listen for its odd little song that sounds like a dry hiccup in the grass.