Savannah sparrow

American  

noun

1. a North American sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis, having brown and white plumage with a yellow stripe over each eye.

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Etymology

Origin of Savannah sparrow

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

In the case of the Savannah sparrow, such outbreeding reduced adaptation to the environment.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2024

The good news for the northern marshland subspecies, Benham noted, is that tidal wetlands around the San Francisco Bay estuary are protected and growing, potentially allowing coastal Savannah sparrow populations to increase.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2024

The Bay Area has seen a 90% decline in tidal marshland since the 1800s, which has reduced Savannah sparrow populations to the level that interbreeding with immigrants is affecting their unique saltwater adaptation.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2024

For comparison, he collected blood or tissue samples from living birds he had encountered over the last decade studying Savannah sparrow populations around the Bay Area for his Ph.D. thesis from the University of Montana.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2024

There are a few nests and young birds in the early part of the month—the yellow-billed cuckoo, the Savannah sparrow, the goldfinch.

From Some Summer Days in Iowa by Lazell, Frederick John