Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii Audubon       Field Guide IDs: NG-414; G-342; PE-284; PW-pl 57; AE-pl 544; AW-pl 599; AM(III)-264 Nest Location Nest Type Eggs & Mating System Dev. & Parental Care Primary & 2ndary Diet.. Foraging Strategy F I: 12-14 DAYS ALTRICIAL F 4-5 (3-6) MONOG? F: 9-12 DAYS MF SEEDS BREEDING: Bogs, wet meadows, riparian thickets mostly in n and montane areas. 1 brood, possibly 2. DISPLAYS: ? NEST: In grass tussock or sunk in shallow depression on sphagnum or moss; of grass or sedge, lined with fine grass, hair. EGGS: Pale green to greenish-white, marked with reddish-browns. 0.8" (19 mm). DIET: Includes few spiders, millipedes; grass and forb seeds. Nestlings likely fed 100% insects. CONSERVATION: Winters s to Honduras and El Salvador. Rare cowbird host. NOTES: Dominated by and may compete with Song Sparrows where breeding territories overlap. Male sings very little during incubation. Female leaves nest by mouse-running along ground when disturbed. Female performs broken-wing distraction display when flushed from nest containing young. Very unobtrusive in migration. STANFORD. NOTES: Uncommon migrant and winter resident in weedy habitats, tall grassland, and brushy vegetation in relatively open areas. Most common in weedy areas near water, as at the edge of Lagunita. ESSAYS: Bird Guilds; Distraction Displays; Territoriality; Vocal Functions. REFERENCES: Bent, 1968.