7.5 inches long. The Harris’s Sparrow is a large sparrow with a pink conical bill and a long tail. The back is tan with dark streaks. There are two buffy to white bars on the brown wings. The undersides are white with streaked sides. On breeding birds there is a black hood covering the nape, crown, lores, throat, and center of upper breast. This contrasts with the gray face. In winter the face is a golden tan and the amount of black is reduced particularly on the nape. Immatures are similar to the winter plumaged adults but have a white throat and black flecked crown.
The Harris’s Sparrow is a common migrant and uncommon winter visitor in the area. It may best be seen from April through mid May and again in September and October.
The Harris’s Sparrow is a bird of the Midwest and many birders from each coast must visit the Midwest to see this bird. It forages on the ground by scratching and kicking among the leaf litter. The song is mournful whistles on one note “seeee, seeee, seeee” followed later by clear notes on another pitch “seeee, seeee, seeee”.
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