Mini-Tutorial: Birding By Ear: Grassland Birds

The Springbrook Birder, Joe Suchecki, returns with a summer edition, this time covering grassland birds of DuPage County.

These birds nest on the ground or in short grasses or shrubs near the ground. This often makes them difficult to see, so you'll likely hear them before you see them. Some are easy to ID with the eye, some more challenging, such as the sparrows.

Joe details how to ID a dozen grassland species by ear, finishing up with some comparisons of similar species.

This video covers the songs and calls of seven species of "obligate" grassland birds and five species that are found in grasslands, but can often be found in other habitats. The seven obligates are Eastern Meadowlark, Bobolink, Dickcissel, Henslow's Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Sedge Wren. The other five: Red-winged Blackbird, Common Yellowthroat, Field Sparrow, American Goldfinch, and Song Sparrow.