chipping sparrow

American  

noun

1. a small, North American sparrow, Spizella passerina, common in urban areas.

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chipping sparrow British  

noun

1. a common North American sparrow, Spizella passerina, having brown-and-grey plumage and a white eye stripe

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Etymology

Origin of chipping sparrow

An Americanism dating back to 1785–95; chip ² + -ing ²

Example Sentences

When a chipping sparrow trills, it could be that spring has arrived.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2020

“In 2015, I had great blue heron, red-bellied woodpecker, American crow, American robin, brown thrasher, northern parula, pine warbler, yellow-throated warbler, chipping sparrow, white-throated sparrow.”

From Slate • Apr. 12, 2019

Before the lens of noted Nature Photographer Porter, the common chipping sparrow looks as powerful and dramatic as the Owl-Magician in Swan Lake.

From Time Magazine Archive

A chipping sparrow family: one baby satisfied, the next nearly so, the third still hungry.

From Birds Every Child Should Know by Blanchan, Neltje

But who ever dreamed of calling the chipping sparrow a fine singer?

From Birds in the Bush by Torrey, Bradford