Ammodramus leconteii
Breeding Habitat:Grassland
Nest Type:Open-cup nesting passerine
Migration Status:Short distance migrant
Nest Location:Ground-low nesting
LeConte's Sparrow is one of the most secretive grassland birds. During most of the year, it quietly skulks through dense grassy cover and can be observed only with great effort. Even territorial males are easily overlooked as their weak song does not carry far and they sing from hidden perches. They also tend to be most vocal at night (Murray 1969), when few people venture into their preferred habitats. As a result of these furtive habits, LeConte's Sparrows tend to be rather poorly represented on both the BBS and CBC. During the breeding season, LeConte's Sparrows are frequently associated with sedge meadows, alkaline bogs, and the wet grassy peripheries of ponds (Brewer et al. 1991, Stewart 1975). However, they normally avoid areas with permanent standing water. In addition to wetlands, this species also regularly inhabits timothy hayfields and other types of damp meadows (Robbins 1991), tall grass prairies (Stewart 1975), and dry short-grass hayfields (Cooper 1984). Given their secretive behavior, historic changes in the status and distribution of LeConte's Sparrows are poorly understood. Wetland drainage probably caused declines in some populations, but since this species also breeds in upland grasslands, their overall populations may not have been reduced to the same extent as species restricted to wetlands. Additionally, populations are known to experience considerable annual fluctuations in abundance in portions of their range, becoming most numerous during wet years (Stewart 1975). These fluctuations tend to obscure long-term population trends. Along BBS routes, LeConte's Sparrows are generally recorded in small numbers across southern Canada from Quebec to Alberta, and in the adjacent U.S. They become most numerous in portions of Alberta (Relative Abundance Map). Populations breeding farther north are not currently monitored by the survey. Their 1966-1994 population trends are entirely non- significant, primarily in a positive direction (Trend List). Small sample sizes preclude analysis of the state/provincial and strata trends during 1966-1979. However, the regional trends are generally non-significant declines. After 1980, the trends are primarily positive including significant increases in Alberta, the Northern Spruce-Hardwoods (S28) and Aspen Parklands (S30) strata, Eastern and Western BBS regions, Canada, and survey-wide. The survey-wide indices are fairly stable through the mid-1980s, followed by a slight increase (Survey-wide Annual Indices). The trend map shows a mixture of increases and declines, with no consistent geographic pattern (Trend Map). During the winter months, LeConte's Sparrows are most frequently found in upland grasslands, especially relatively dry fields with a dense cover of short grasses. They can be detected only with considerable effort. Hence, their true abundance is under- represented on CBCs, where most counts try to record the species presence in the count circle but do not make a concerted effort to adequately count numbers of individuals. LeConte's Sparrows are generally recorded in small numbers from Texas and Oklahoma across the southeastern U.S. and northward along the middle Mississippi Valley to southern Illinois. The CBC trends should be viewed with caution, since they can be strongly influenced by the amount of time spent specifically looking for this secretive species.