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

In the song sparrow, field sparrow, chipping sparrow, and the fox sparrow the male and female are very nearly alike in color.

From The Meaning of Evolution by Schmucker, Samuel Christian

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

From Birds Every Child Should Know by Blanchan, Neltje