Lincoln's Sparrow
Learn to identify the Lincoln's Sparrow by ear. Master the "sweet-sweet-trill-trill-trill-chew" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Lincoln's Sparrow sounds like
A rich, musical series that begins with two or three clear notes, drops into a rapid, buzzy trill, and finishes with a short flourish.
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Breeds across boreal Canada, the northern Rockies, and high montane meadows of the West; winters from the southern United States through Mexico and Central America.
Moist shrubby edges, bogs, willow and alder thickets, wet meadows, forest clear-cuts with thick regrowth; in winter, dense chaparral, riparian tangles, and brushy grasslands.
Long-distance migrant: arrives on breeding grounds late May–June; southbound migration August–October; winters November–March.
How to recognize it by sight
A shy, finely-streaked sparrow of dense brush, Lincoln’s Sparrow is best known for its sweet, gurgling song delivered from hidden perches. Smaller and slimmer than a Song Sparrow, it slips through willow thickets and wet meadows where it forages mostly on or near the ground.
Similar species
Song Sparrow
Larger with heavier streaking that often forms a central spot on breast
Swamp Sparrow
Plainer gray breast without streaks