CreatureData

Song sparrow

Melospiza melodia (A. Wilson, 1810)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is a species in the family Passerellidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 20.5 g to 24 g and live up to 11.2 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the song sparrow

Weight
20.5 g – 24 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
11.2 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
12 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
12.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3.95src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2.5src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the song sparrow live?

Not recorded

What is the song sparrow?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is a medium-sized New World sparrow. Among the native sparrows in North America, it is easily one of the most abundant, variable, and adaptable species.

From the Wikipedia article “Song sparrow” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Song_sparrow&oldid=1374499833), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the song sparrow endangered?

The song sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the song sparrow classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyPasserellidae
  6. genusMelospiza
  7. SpeciesMelospiza melodia (A. Wilson, 1810)

Synonyms Melospiza cinerea, Melospiza fasciata, Melospiza meloda, Melospiza melodia fasciata, Zonotrichia melodia, Zonotrichia melodia melodia

Other names and names in other languages (56)
  • Brown song sparrowEnglish
  • العُصفُور الدُّوري المُغَرِّدArabic
  • Brean kanerBreton
  • sit melòdicCatalan
  • Sit cantaireCatalan
  • ᏥᎦᏣCherokee
  • strnadec zpěvnýCzech
  • Bras persainWelsh
  • Llwyd PersainWelsh
  • Llwydiaid PersainWelsh
  • SangspurvDanish
  • SingammerGerman
  • Μελωδικό ΣπουργιτοτσίχλονοGreek
  • kanta pasereloEsperanto
  • Gorrión cantorSpanish
  • Chingolo cantorSpanish
  • Gorrión MelódicoSpanish
  • laulusidrikEstonian
  • laulusirkkuFinnish
  • LjómspurvurFaroese
  • bruant chanteurFrench
  • Bruantin chanteurFrench
  • Gealóg cheoilIrish
  • Sparroo bingManx
  • Zwazo-kann chantèHaitian Creole
  • דרורןHebrew
  • גיבתונית רוננתHebrew
  • דרור שירHebrew
  • strnadar pjevačCroatian
  • énekes verébsármányHungarian
  • ÓmtittlingurIcelandic
  • Passero cantoreItalian
  • ウタスズメJapanese
  • Zonotrichija giesmininkėLithuanian
  • žvirbliastartė giesmininkėLithuanian
  • dziedātājzvirbulisLatvian
  • ZanggorsDutch
  • songsporvNorwegian Nynorsk
  • pasówka śpiewnaPolish
  • szarobrewka śpiewnaPolish
  • tico-tico-musicalPortuguese
  • Певчая овсянкаRussian
  • Певчий воробейRussian
  • LávlocihciNorthern Sami
  • lávlucihciNorthern Sami
  • lávlucizášNorthern Sami
  • strnádlik spevavýSlovak
  • pojoči vrabonadSlovenian
  • стрнад певачSerbian
  • Strnad pevačSerbian
  • sångsparvSwedish
  • Ötücü çinteTurkish
  • Ötücü SerçeTurkish
  • пасовка співочаUkrainian
  • 歌带鹀Chinese
  • 歌帶鵐Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the song sparrow

Other species in the same genus Melospiza.

LC, Least Concern

Swamp sparrow

Melospiza georgiana

PasserellidaeNo free photo yet

CompareSong sparrow vs Lincoln's sparrowSong sparrow vs Swamp sparrow

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the song sparrow?

An adult song sparrow weighs 20.5 g – 24 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the song sparrow endangered?

The song sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the song sparrow live?

The song sparrow has a recorded lifespan of 11.2 years.

What kind of animal is the song sparrow?

The song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) belongs to the family Passerellidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/song-sparrow

MLA

“Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/song-sparrow.

BibTeX
@misc{song_sparrow_2026,
  title = {Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/song-sparrow},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}