*Oology is a branch of ornithology studying bird eggs, nests and breeding behaviour. The word is derived from the Greek oion, meaning egg.
8. Song Sparrow
This part of the Stanislaus Audubon Website is focused on 44 common Central Valley nesting species with background about their nesting habits. Please check the Great Valley Museum Central Valley Egg Collection starting page for links to all the featured species.
SONG SPARROW NESTING INFORMATION (From birdsoftheworld.org)
Nests - Pair searches together, twitching wings and giving soft notes; female tries possible sites by “nest molding”. Chief requisites: secure support and concealment. Support provided by ground or vegetation. Concealment from predators and weather usually provided by dense overhead vegetation. Specific site characteristics variable; commonest low in grass and shrub. Nest relatively simple, though generally a sturdy, open cup; outside more loosely constructed than inside. Outer material commonly grass and weeds stems, leaves, and strips of plant bark.
Eggs - Ovate to short-ovate. Ground color variable; blue, blue-green, to gray-green. Spots common, brown to red-brown, rarely lilac; arranged variously from small, nearly uniform speckles over whole egg to a few large irregular splotches at largest end. Clutch size generally 3 to 5 eggs.
Incubation - 12 to 14 days. Females incubate exclusively
Fledging - Young altricial, leave nest in 10 to 12 days.
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