 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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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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-0.994 (-1.51 - -0.462)|
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
Savannah Sparrows were common and widespread south of the boreal forest. Their habit of occupying grassy roadsides made them particularly easy to detect, as reflected by the high probability of observation in southern Saskatchewan. In the boreal forest, Savannah Sparrows were rare and local, occasionally found in grassy fens and cleared airstrips, with a notable pocket of observations between Cree Lake and Wollaston Lake.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
A secretive bird, the Savannah Sparrow spends most of its time on the ground, favouring dense longer grasses and running mouse-like through the matted grass (Salt and Salt 1976). The Savannah is the most numerous and widespread of the grassland sparrow group (Roy in Leighton et al. 2002). This widespread sparrow nests throughout mainland Canada and the northern and western US south to central Mexico. During the winter it retreats to the southern US, Mexico, and northern Central America (AOU 1998).
In Saskatchewan, suitable habitats range from ungrazed or lightly grazed native grasslands, wet meadows, hayfields, weedy croplands, and grassy roadsides in the south (Roy 1996, Smith 1996), to open grassy marshes and bogs in the north (Nero 1967a).
In the settled south, the Savannah Sparrow is a common summer resident, while in the north it is only fairly common (Smith 1996).
Original text by Joan Feather. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Savannah Sparrow in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Savannah 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=SAVS&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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