Ontario · Year-round resident

Song Sparrows in Ontario

When song sparrows are present in Ontario, when they nest, which native Ontario plants feed them, and how to host them in a Canadian zones 0a–7a yard.

New World sparrows (Passerellidae)Song SparrowMelospiza melodia

Status in Ontario: Year-round resident
Nesting window: May–August
Broods: 2–3 per season
Hardiness zones: Canadian zones 0a–7a (southern Ontario roughly equivalent to USDA 4–6)

When to expect song sparrows in Ontario

Song Sparrows live in Ontario all year. Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward weed and grass seeds.

Humid continental in the south, boreal and subarctic in the north; most backyard birding happens in the southern Great Lakes lowlands.

Nesting in Ontario

Across Ontario, song sparrows typically nest from May–August. Nest site: grass cup on the ground or low in shrubs. Females lay 3–5 eggs, incubate for 12–14 days, and young leave the nest after 9–12 days.

Short, warm summers; Point Pelee and Long Point are continent-famous migration sites.

Song Sparrows don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as sugar maple, flowering dogwood, serviceberry for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.

Native Ontario plants that attract song sparrows

Of the regional native plants we track for Ontario, these 8 provide food or cover song sparrows use:

Sugar maple

Acer saccharum · Tree

Insects, seeds and cavities.

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

American elderberry

Sambucus canadensis · Shrub

Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.

Arrowwood viburnum

Viburnum dentatum · Shrub

Blue-black fall fruit and dense nesting cover.

Feeding song sparrows through the Ontario year

Song Sparrows feed at the edge of shrubbery and are among the first birds singing in late winter.

Best foods: Millet, Hulled sunflower, Cracked corn.
In Ontario's winter: Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches.

Full diet breakdown for song sparrows · Best feeder for song sparrows

Frequently asked

Are song sparrows in Ontario year-round?

Yes. Song Sparrows are year-round residents in Ontario.

When do song sparrows nest in Ontario?

Nesting in Ontario typically runs May–August, with 2–3 per season. Clutches are 3–5 eggs, incubated for 12–14 days.

What native plants attract song sparrows in Ontario?

Sugar maple, Flowering dogwood, Serviceberry, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry, American elderberry, Arrowwood viburnum are native plants in Ontario that provide food or cover for song sparrows.

Other backyard birds in Ontario

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.