Harris's Sparrow Zonotrichia querula Nuttall       Field Guide IDs: NG-416; G-340; PE-278; PW-pl 58; AE -pl 529; AW-pl 594; AM(Ill)-270 Nest Location Nest Type Eggs & Mating System Dev. & Parental Care Primary & 2ndary Diet.. Foraging Strategy ? I:13-14 DAYS ALTRICIAL ? 4-5 (3-5) MONOG? F: ? DAYS ? SEEDS BERRIES FOLIAGE .....GLEANS BREEDING: Stunted trees and shrubs in coniferous forest -- tundra ecotone. 1 brood. DISPLAYS: Social dominance in winter flocks signaled visually by extent of black feathering on throat and crown, which is under hormonal control. NEST: Sunken into ground beneath low woody veg or in mossy hummock among stunted trees; of grass, coarse rootlets, lined with finer grass. EGGS: White, greenish-white, marked with browns. 0.9" (22 mm). DIET: Includes spiders, few snails; forb, grass, sedge, and rush seeds. CONSERVATION: Winters within N.A. NOTES: When alarmed, flies up, rather than seeking cover in low-growing veg. Details of breeding biology largely unknown. Forms winter flocks. Strong site attachment to wintering territory. STANFORD. NOTES: ESSAYS: Bird Badges; Dominance Hierarchies; Site Tenacity; How Do We Find Out About Bird Biology?. REFERENCES: Rohwer and Rohwer, 1978.