Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Passerculus sandwichensis, P. guttatus, P. sanctorum and P. rostratus (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) were previously lumped as P. sandwichensis following AERC TAC (2003); AOU (1998 & supplements).
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Not Recognised | |
| 2008 | Not Recognised | |
| 2004 | Not Recognised | |
| 2000 | Not Recognised | |
| 1994 | Not Recognised | |
| 1988 | Not Recognised |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | 26 g |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 33,700,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 13,400,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 170000000 mature individuals | poor | suspected | 2019 |
| Population trend | decreasing | - | suspected | - |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 18% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 2.32 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The global population is suspected to number fewer than 170 million mature individuals (Partners in Flight 2019).
Trend justification: The species is undergoing a moderate decline (Partners in Flight 2019). The rate of the decline has not been assessed; together with the recently split San Benito Sparrow (Passerculus sanctorum), Belding's Sparrow (P. guttatus) and Large-billed Sparrow (P. rostratus), the decline amounted to an average rate of 1.3% per year between 1970 and 2017 (Partners in Flight 2019). Short-term trends suggest a moderate decline of 18% over the past ten years (Pardieck et al. 2018). As Savannah Sparrow occupies a much larger range than the recently split species, it is conceivable that it accounts for a large proportion of the observed decline. Thus, the species is tentatively considered to be in decline, but the rate of decline is not considered to approach the threshold for Vulnerable over the relevant three generation time periods for this assessment.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahamas | extant | native | yes | |||
| Belize | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bermuda (to UK) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Canada | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cuba | extant | native | yes | |||
| El Salvador | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Japan | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Mexico | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Portugal | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Russia | extant | native | ||||
| Russia (Asian) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| South Korea | extant | vagrant | ||||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | extant | native | yes | |||
| United Kingdom | extant | vagrant | ||||
| USA | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Country/Territory | IBA Name |
|---|
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Tundra | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Tundra | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Sand Dunes | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Sand Dunes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | major | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | non-breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 4000 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/savannah-sparrow-passerculus-sandwichensis on 29/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 29/12/2024.