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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web 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 Norfolk County: two black vultures in Medway and two more soaring over Route I-495 in Wrentham, a family of sharp-shinned hawks at Moose Hill Sanctuary in Sharon, and a grasshopper sparrow at the Shea Naval Air Field in Weymouth. BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2022 Bell Bowl is home to at least 164 species of plants, many of which are rare, and birders have found rare nesting birds such as the grasshopper sparrow. Nara Schoenberg, chicagotribune.com, 1 Mar. 2022 In the years since the Great Recession and growth regulations doomed a proposal to turn the 27,000 acres of Osceola County ranchland into a city of 250,000 called Destiny, alarms sounded over a small brown bird, the Florida grasshopper sparrow. Kevin Spear, orlandosentinel.com, 4 Dec. 2021 Bell Bowl contains at least 164 species of plants, many of which are rare, and birders have found rare nesting birds such as the grasshopper sparrow. Sheryl Devore, chicagotribune.com, 28 Oct. 2021 Breeding occurs throughout the year, and the grasshopper sparrow might nest upward of three times during a season. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 1 Oct. 2021 Florida’s grasshopper sparrow subspecies was the rarest bird in the continental U.S. just a few years ago, but a captive breeding program has numbers climbing. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 1 Oct. 2021 See More

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

Dictionary Entries Near grasshopper sparrow

Cite this Entry

“Grasshopper sparrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grasshopper%20sparrow. Accessed 28 May. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on grasshopper sparrow

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!