grasshopper sparrow

noun

: a small American sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) that is grayish brown above with a pale belly and has a high-pitched buzzing song that resembles the stridulation of grasshoppers

Examples of grasshopper sparrow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The overall goal is to sustain and enhance sandplain grassland habitat, a habitat that many species rely on to survive and reproduce, including grassland nesting birds like the upland sandpiper, grasshopper sparrow, eastern meadowlark, and savannah sparrow. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2024 Ground-nesting birds, such as the diminutive grasshopper sparrow, are more elusive. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023 For some at-risk species that have lost most of their native Florida habitat to development, like the burrowing owl and the Florida grasshopper sparrow, ranches represent some of the last scraps of habitat for them. Stephanie Castellano, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Aug. 2023 Still, the survival of the grasshopper sparrow is in doubt. Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 But the scientists who are working to help the grasshopper sparrow refuse to give up. Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 There were just over 100 grasshopper sparrows in their native range as of 2021, the zoo reported. Zoe Sottile, CNN, 23 Apr. 2023 In particular, birds with relatively large territories that sing at medium to high mean frequencies—such as the grasshopper sparrow found in North America—were less likely to be heard. Bymolly Magid, science.org, 18 Oct. 2022 Avon Park is now one of the release sites of a grasshopper sparrow captive breeding program and partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to monitor the bats and their roosts, so that training exercises can be planned around them. Ashley Stimpson, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grasshopper sparrow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grasshopper sparrow was in 1898

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Cite this Entry

“Grasshopper sparrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grasshopper%20sparrow. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

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