Back to Field Guide
Vesper Sparrow
Pooecetes gramineus
Audubon Illustration
John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.
Migration Flyway
Showing primary migration corridor(s) for this species
Last Spotted Near You
About the Vesper Sparrow
The vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) is a medium-sized New World sparrow. The only member of the genus Pooecetes, it is a pale sparrow with brown streaks that breeds across the grasslands of northern North America. It migrates to winter in the southern United States and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Pooecetes gramineus
- Family
- New World Sparrows
- Order
- Passeriformes
Similar species
Other members of the new world sparrows family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Abert's Towhee Melozone aberti
- American Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea
- Bachman's Sparrow Peucaea aestivalis
- Baird's Junco Junco bairdi
- Baird's Sparrow Centronyx bairdii
- Bell's Sparrow Artemisiospiza belli
- Black-chested Sparrow Peucaea humeralis
- Black-chinned Sparrow Spizella atrogularis
- Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata
- Botteri's Sparrow Peucaea botterii
- Brewer's Sparrow Spizella breweri
- Bridled Sparrow Peucaea mystacalis
Know when the Vesper Sparrow turns up near you
How rare bird alerts work →Gear for spotting Vesper Sparrow
Optics
Best Binoculars for Beginners
You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.
8 min readRead guide
Cameras
Cameras for Bird Photography
From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.
12 min readRead guide