This sparrow is most well-known for being little-known! Bachman's Sparrow is uncommon in the Smokies and has not been seen in the Park since 1957 (Stupka 1963). It is more often seen in open pine woods of the coastal plain. For this reason they are also called the Pine Woods Sparrow. Males may be seen when singing, but a quick look may be all you can get of this secretive little bird.

Nests are on the ground and well hidden. The nest is very well camouflaged and often has a hidden passageway giving the bird an escape route. The bird flies only a short distance when disturbed and quickly returns to the ground to play hide and seek in the tall grass. Nests are rarely found and the bird's breeding habits are therefore not well known.

Species Description:
Length: 51/2-61/4 in. (14-16 cm)
Physical characteristics: Bachman's Sparrow is brownish with reddish brown striping on the back, a rufous cap, and buffy eye-line. The breast is a plain buff color. The bill is rather long, and the upper mandible is dark while the lower is light colored. The bird is similar in appearance to the Field Sparrow.
Voice: The song is a beautiful, variable liquid whistle followed by a loose trill, described as: seeeeee, slip, slip, slip, slip, slip. The song is often given in flight.

Breeding habitat:
The Bachman's Sparrow breeds in open piney woods. The bird may also nest in abandoned fields where it prefers tall grass. Bachman's is more common in Longleaf Pine areas of North Carolina, but has been observed with-in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boundaries during the nesting season, especially on the Tennessee side around Cades Cove while the forest was less mature. The bird has been seen less in the Park and in Tennessee in recent decades, perhaps due to less suitable breeding habitat.

Mating system:
Thought to be monogamous. May lay multiple clutches.

Nest:
The sparrow builds a domed, grass or broomsedge nest hidden in the grass or undergrowth. The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs.

Eggs:
The first clutch generally laid in April to May, although the nesting season is highly variable, and consists of 4-5 eggs which hatch after 12-14 days. The eggs are pure white. More than one clutch may be laid.

Chick development:
Both parents feed the young which fledge in about 9 days.

Diet:
The bird is more insectivorous than many other sparrows, but also eats seeds, pine seeds, sedge and grass.

Parasites: Cowbird parasitism is rare.

Conservation Biology:
Special Protection Status:
Rangewide: The US Fish and Wildlife Service considers this a ?Species of Concern? and a candidate for federal protection. It is often protected indirectly through the habitat improvement efforts on behalf of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis).
Region: Bachman's Sparrow is listed as Endangered in Tennessee (TWRA 1975). It is listed as a species of "Special Concern? in North Carolina.

Breeding: The Bachman's Sparrow's breeding territory is covers all of the southeastern US except for the southern-most tip of Florida, extending north into northern Virginia, West Virginia and Illinois, curving southward into Oklahoma and eastern Texas. Its distribution is very spotty within this range.

Winter: The bird winters in southeastern U.S. as far north as southern NC and westward through the Gulf States to Texas. Bachman's Sparrow is a year around resident of southeastern North Carolina.

In Park: Bachman's Sparrow is a spring migrant in high elevations of the Smokies, being recorded in April in Newfound Gap and along Clingmans Dome Road (Stupka 1963). Breeding season records in the Park come entirely from Cades Cove during the 1940s and 50s (Stupka 1963). An early September record from Greenbrier represents the latest fall record. It has not been reported in the Park since 1957.

Bachman?s Sparrow has not been encountered in the Smokies since 1957 (Stupka 1963). Stupka suspects, probably quite rightly, that the Park?s habitat has changed sufficiently that this species can no longer find what it needs in the way of open pine woodlands. Efforts to open up the under-story of pine woodlands in the western part of the Park around a historic breeding site for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) may also benefit this sparrow and bring it back to the Park. All plants and animals are protected within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Collection requires a permit, which is usually granted only for research or educational purposes.

References:

Ehrlich, Paul R., David S. Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye. The Birder?s Handbook. Simon and Schuster Inc., New York.

Gough, G. A., J. R. Sauer, M. Iliff. 1998. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.

Nicholson, Charles P. 1997. Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Peterson, Roger T. 2002. Birds East of the Rockies. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.

Potter, E. F., James F. Parnell, Robert P. Teulings. Birds of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.

Sibley, D. A. 2003. The Sibley Field Guide to Guide to Birds of Eastern North America. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

Stupka, A. 1963. Notes on the Birds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. University of Tennessee Press.