 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Harris's Sparrows were primarily found in the stunted taiga forests in extreme northern Saskatchewan. Most sightings are from the Selwyn Lake Uplands and the number of individuals detected on point counts increases towards the northeastern corner of the province. Individuals heard singing near Tazin and Cree Lakes fall outside the range described in the Birds of Saskatchewan, but are nevertheless candidates for possible breeding. Although breeding was not confirmed during the atlas, agitated adults and high counts of singing males indicate probable breeding in six of the 22 squares Harris's Sparrows were observed in during the breeding season.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Our largest sparrow and arguably our most handsome (Smith 1996), Harris's Sparrow is unmistakable. Primarily a bird of underbrush and thick shrubbery, it is easily attracted to bird feeding stations and often observed on the ground scratching with both feet at once among dead vegetative matter and debris. Harris's Sparrow is the only passerine that breeds in the Low Arctic of Canada, from the Northwest Territories to northern Ontario, and nowhere else in the world (Norment and Shackleton 1993). Wintering occurs mainly on the southern Great Plains.
In migration, Harris's Sparrow is found in garden shrubbery, farmyards, and treed areas. Territorial birds in northeastern Saskatchewan are found in diverse habitats: open burn areas among spruce, dry muskeg, and dry areas bordering wet muskeg (Nero 1963a).
"The Harris's Sparrow is an uncommon summer resident of the burns, bogs and stunted forests of the Subarctic and eastern portions of the Northern Boreal regions. In the rest of the province it is essentially a transient, common in central and eastern areas but rare in the extreme west? (Smith 1996).
Original text by David J. Chaskavich. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Harris's Sparrow in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Harris's Sparrow in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=HASP&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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