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Male sings 'drink your tea' loudly from exposed perches during the nesting season. Most common call is a loud 'chewink' given when disturbed. (Songs of two males, Albany County; calls, Schoharie County, New York.)
Habitat: Brushy edges and open woods with shrubs.
Male's song is a dry, usually rapid trill that differs somewhat among birds. Similar to Dark-eyed Junco, Swamp Sparrow, and Pine Warbler. Not as musical as Junco. Swamp Sparrow has a looser trill. Chip calls are given by males and females when alarmed. (Songs of two birds, Albany County, New York.)
Habitat: Common in suburbs, towns, open woods, conifers.
Male's song is a series of 1 to 8 (usually 2 or 3) colorless, low pitched, insect-like buzzes. (Songs of three birds, Becker and Clay Counties, Minnesota; Burnett County, Wisconsin.)
Habitat: Breeds in brushy fields away from trees.
Male's song is a series of clear, sweet downslurred whistles which increase in speed and end in a trill. (Two birds, Saratoga and Schoharie Counties, New York.)
Habitat: Brushy fields and pastures.
Sweet-sounding song starts with 2 to 4 clear, steady or downslurred whistles followed by a series of notes and trills that vary among birds. Generally sings from a high perch; this bird was on a telephone wire. (One bird, Ramsey County, North Dakota.)
Habitat: Breeds in dry fields with patchy vegetation and song perches.
Song is a rapid series of notes followed by two buzzy trills; the second trill is lower pitched. (Two birds, Albany County, New York.)
Habitat: A variety of tall grass habitats.
Song is thin, high and insect like. Commonly sings two notes and a trill or a more musical twitter. May sing at night during breeding season. All notes are very high (> 6000 Hz) and may be difficult to hear, even though they are reasonably loud. (Saratoga County, New York.)
Habitat: Breeds in grassy pastures and fields with shrubs or weeds. May be found with Savannah Sparrow.
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Song is a very short, simple tselick, and because of this the bird is often described as a weak singer. While its song can be heard easily from 200-300 feet away, it may go unnoticed. (Saratoga County, New York.)
Habitat: Grasslands, wet meadows and neglected fields with standing dead vegetation
The Fox sparrow is highly variable across its range with many subspecies. Eastern birds are noted for their sweet, melodic song, but the songs of these birds recorded in Alaska included buzzy notes. Both birds were singing from exposed perches. (Two songs each of two birds (probably iliaca group), Denali Area and Nome, Alaska.)
Habitat: Breeds in deciduous thickets near water, bogs, dwarf conifers.
Song is variable but has a distinctive pattern and tonal quality. It usually consists of a couple of introductory notes followed by a slightly husky trill or warble. Here are twelve songs by eight birds. An individual may sing six or more songs and may share one to several songs with the bird in the neighboring territory. (New York.)
Habitat: Open brushy areas, brushy edges along roads, streams, pastures, woods.
Song is a trill on a single pitch, more musical, less dry and usually slower than the chipping sparrow's song. A single bird will sing at different tempos. Sings before dawn and into the night. (Two birds, Albany County, New York.)
Habitat: Nest in marshes, bogs, edges of ponds.
Song is sweet, clear, loud, whistle commonly written as 'poor sam peabody peabody peabody' or 'sweet sweet canada canada canada'. The peabody phrases can be higher or lower than the introductory notes. Chip calls are variable. (Lewis County, New York.)
Habitat: Brushy mixed open woodlands.
Song varies geographically, but often starts with clear whistled notes and ends with buzzes or trilled phrases. Each male sings one primary song, but those living on the border between dialects often have both songs. Here are the songs of six birds from Alaska; the first five are from the Denali region and the last from Nome. Each bird was singing from an exposed perch. Studies have shown that males's songs are effective in attracting mates and defending territory.
Habitat: Varies widely; breeds in boreal forest and tundra with stunted trees; also deciduous thickets, parks and gardens.
Song is sweet, clear whistle descending through three or more notes. During the breeding season males sing throughout the day from exposed perches. This bird's song is more complex than the 'oh, dear me' commonly described in field guides. Other birds in the Nome, Alaska area also sang this song. (Nome, Alaska)
Habitat: Breeds in shrubby tundra, in willow and alder thickets along streambeds, or near timberline in small conifers.
Song is a simple trill on one pitch that is reminiscent of the Chipping Sparrow but more musical (not as dry) and often somewhat slower. Chip call has a distinctive smacking quality. The Junco making the chip call was foraging; it stopped and preened and then continued to forage, chipping all the while. (Song, Lewis County; chip calls, Albany County, New York.)
Habitat: Breeds in conifers and mixed woods, bogs.
Male's melodious song sounds something like the Bobolink's. It is given during flight display (first example) or from perches on rock or hummocks in the tundra (second and third examples). Song varies widely, but the males in one locality use the same song. This species has many calls. We found a female making this call while moving around on the ground but apparently not foraging. A nearby male made some similar calls and its rarely heard whisper song. The whisper song is simply a very quiet version of the primary song given in the presence of a female before nest building. (Nome, Alaska)
Habitat: Breeds in grassy tundra; winters in fields with short grass, fallow farm fields, beaches.
Male's sweet song is reminiscent of the chestnut-sided and yellow warbler's songs. Each male has only one song which the same as or similar to the song of other males in his locality. Songs vary among localities. Males sing from the ground, hummocks, and other perches. Males do not defend territories, and the song may serve to attract females for copulation. They do not have a flight display like Lapland longspurs. Rattle call is given from the ground and while flying. It probably serves as alarm, agression or contact call, depending on context. (Denali Highway, Alaska)
Habitat: Breeds on moist subarctic tundra with very low vegetation and on sedge meadows at the northern edge of the tree line.
Male's musical song is reminiscent of the western meadowlark but is higher pitched. Song varies among birds. Males sing from the ground, from perches such as fences, and during display flights. Tri-ri-rip call is given during agressive interactions with other males and in other situations where the bird is probably agitated or alarmed. (Clay County, Minnesota).
Habitat: Recently grazed or mowed prairie or fields.
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