Plate 64 – Swamp Sparrow

In the eyes of Alexander Wilson (1766-1813), a hawk that preferred to prey on sparrows needed to be named a Sparrow hawk (Plate 142). Indeed, John James Audubon noted the American Sparrow hawk during the fall and winter along the Mississippi River feasting on Swamp sparrows. “Although these birds do not congregate in flocks, their numbers are immense.” The American Sparrow hawk is commonly known today as the American kestrel. And many refer to the Swamp sparrow and all others of its kin as just another little brown job (LBJ).