Distribution

Figure 1. Breeding, year-round, and winter ranges of the Field Sparrow.

The Americas

Breeding Range

Figure 1 . From nw. and se. Montana, n. N. Dakota, central Minnesota, n.-central Wisconsin, n.-central Michigan, s. Ontario, sw. Quebec, s. Maine, and s. New Brunswick south to ne. Colorado, w. Kansas and Oklahoma, central and s. Texas, along the Gulf Coast to s. Georgia. Also near Winnipeg, Manitoba (Am. Ornithol. Union 1983; Sauer et al. 2007). Details for selected regions at periphery of range follow:

Quebec (Yank and Dauphin 1996): most breeding records south of 47°N; fairly common in farmland of s. Ottawa Valley, patchier in Montreal region, and scarce in Eastern Townships and Laurentians; on north shore of St. Lawrence, scattered breeding east to Quebec City.

Ontario: primarily southeast/Great Lakes region, south of 46°N, with highest abundance in Carolinian and lake Simcoe-Rideau regions, especially Middlesex/Lambton/Elgin and Prince Edward/Frontenac/Hastings counties (McLaren 2007; http://www.birdsontario.org/atlas/maps.jsp?lang=en).

N. Dakota (Stewart 1975): primarily southwestern portions of state -- Southwestern Slope Region (most numerous in badlands and valleys along the Missouri River and its tributaries); less common elsewhere, e.g., Agassiz Lake Plain region, se. Southern Drift Plain, Northwestern Drift Plain.

Wisconsin: concentrated in south and west, but found breeding in most counties of the state (http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba/species/maps/FISP.htm).

Texas: throughout eastern two-thirds of the state, with densest concentrations in the northeast corner and on the east edge of the Edwards Plateau (Tweit 2008).

Oklahoma (Reinking 2004): common breeder in eastern and central portions, uncommon to rare in west; absent in western portions of Panhandle.

Florida: breeding restricted to panhandle and extreme northern portions of peninsula (Walton Co. east to Columbia and Gilchrist Cos.; Kale et al. 1992).

Winter Range

Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, s. Michigan, n. Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts south to se. New Mexico, n. Coahuila, central Nuevo León, n. Tamaulipas, the Gulf Coast, and s. Florida (Am. Ornithol. Union 1983). In Florida, resident throughout northern half of peninsula (Kale et al. 1992). In Mexico, northeast corner, on Atlantic slope from e. Coahuila and Nuevo Leon to central Tamaulipas (Howell and Webb 1995). Christmas Bird Count data show center of winter abundance from the e. Carolinas and s. Virginia, west through Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and central Texas (Sauer et al. 1996; http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/cbcra/h5630ra.html).

Outside The Americas

None reported.

Historical Changes In Distribution

No large scale changes.

Fossil History

For the late Pleistocene (Rancholabrean North American Land Mammal Age [NALMA], 400,000 Megannum [Ma]), there are two records from Florida (Brodkorb 1959: 286; Ritchie 1980: 27). The earliest record for Spizella is the latest Blancan (NALMA, 1.9–2.0 Ma) from the Borchers Local Fauna, Meade Co., KS (R. Chandler pers. comm.).