Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific

by Charles K. Reed

LINCOLN SPARROW.

583. Melospiza lincolni. 5½ inches.

To be found most commonly in the central and western parts of North America, rare in the eastern part. In appearance they are very much like the Song Sparrow, but in their habits are more retiring, and keep more closely in the grass, and out of sight. They nest in tufts of grass within a few inches of the ground, or in a slight depression in the ground. The nest is made of twigs, roots and grasses. Their eggs are similar to the Song Sparrows; three or four in number, greenish white, heavily marked with brown (.80 × .58).