Unfortunately, Harris's Sparrow populations are declining; its restricted range make it vulnerable to habitat loss on the wintering and breeding grounds. However, they are still found across a broad geographic area and are relatively common in many parts of their range. They breed in semi-forested tundra (open tundra mixed with patches of trees and shrubs). The Harris's Sparrow is the largest sparrow in North America. The female Harris's Sparrow builds a nest on the ground in which she lays three to five eggs. It is North America’s largest sparrow. In the fall their faces are brown … In 1931, George M. Sutton found a nest with eggs near Churchill, Manitoba. Habitat: This sparrow is common in central and western Oklahoma in brushy fields, thickets, and woodland edges. Harris's Sparrows have undergone a slight population decrease in recent decades. White belly with dark streaks on sides. The breeding plumage on this sparrow changes from a grey face and black crown in the summer months to overall brown in the winter months. Harris' sparrow made the State of North America's Birds Report watch list in 2016 due to its steeply declining population. At first glance, Harris’s sparrows may resemble a male house sparrow, but it can be distinguished by its larger size, white belly and pink-orange bill. It is a showstopper with its black bib and pink bill. The population of Harris’s sparrow has experienced declines of approximately 60 per cent in the last 35 years. Key field marks: Black bib, black forehead and crown and pink bill. Threats in its wintering grounds include habitat loss and pesticide exposure. Like many species, the Harris’s Sparrow looks very different in its breed- ing plumage than when they first arrive in the fall. Immatures have plain brown face and splotchy black bib. Harris’s sparrow was designated as special concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in 2017. Harris’s Sparrow is a large, elegant sparrow of the Heartland. Human connections: Because of its remote breeding grounds, it was a long time before scientists ever saw a Harris's sparrow nest. Breeding territories typically include coniferous trees. In winter it settles in the south-central Great Plains, where it is a backyard favorite. Large sparrow that is largely restricted to the middle of North America. This sparrow is shyer and warier in its northern breeding territory. The main causes cited for this steep decline are the effects that climate change is having on their breeding habitat, and deforestation due to industrial development. The nest of the Harris's Sparrow was one of the last North American passerine nests to be found by scientists, and was found by ornithologist George Miksch Sutton in a summer race with Canadian ornithologists to be the first to find one. When a flock is disturbed it often flies up to the top of a nearby bush. In winter, Harris's Sparrows mix with and generally dominate flocks of the more numerous White-crowned and Golden-crowned sparrows. A Harris's sparrow can live to be at least 11 years old. Its summer range is in the central northern regions and it spends its winters in the central most southern states. The Harris's Sparrow is one of the most northern ranging sparrows in North America. Breeds in boreal forest and shrubbery in the far north of central Canada, and winters in shrubby or weedy areas in the southern Great Plains. Adults have distinctive black face and pink bill. The IUCN lists the Harris's Sparrow as a species of "Least Concern". The very white chest and belly are the same as is the brown mottled back, but the face and chest vary a lot. Harris's Sparrows arrive on their breeding territories in the NWT in late May to early June. Habitat loss and climate change are likely cuases. This has resulted in Harris’s Sparrow being place on the PIF Yellow Watchlist, and listed as “Special Concern” by COSEWIC in Canada in 2017.