NCRS - The Changing Midwest Assessment

The Henslow's Sparrow is a small bird with a flat head, large conical bill, and a short tail. It has two dark "whiskers", a buffy streaked breast and sides, a white belly and under tail coverts, and a narrow, whitish crown stripe. It can be distinguished from other sparrows by its olive face and rusty wings. The Henslow's Sparrow is a short distance migrant that breeds in grassland habitat. It is a ground or low nesting bird and is often found in open fields with tall herbaceous vegetation. Its diet consists mostly of insects and seeds. Identification and life history data compiled by Gregory Gough, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i5470id.html