Traits: Small bird with stout, cone-shaped bill; majority are brown on the back and light underneath; many have streaks on the breast.

Habitat: Tall shrub thickets, forest edges, sedge lands, open tundra

Foods: Seeds of ground-cover plants and tall shrubs; insects during nesting season

Eaten by: Sharp-shinned hawks, falcons, small owls, shrikes; weasels, squirrel, ravens prey on eggs and young.

Do You Know? Sparrows often use hair from moose or feathers from other birds to line their nests.