Le Conte's Sparrow is a small, richly colored, and famously skulking sparrow of wet grassy meadows, one of the harder birds to get a look at in the entire state. When it does show, it is beautiful — a bright orange-buff face and breast, a gray stripe down the center of the crown, fine dark streaks on the sides, and a streaked purplish-and-chestnut nape. But it prefers to run mouse-like through the grass rather than fly, and it flushes weakly only to drop back into cover almost immediately, so most encounters are brief and frustrating.
Its song is as unassuming as Henslow's — a thin, dry, insect-like buzz, easily lost among the sounds of the marsh. Le Conte's Sparrow breeds in wet sedge meadows, damp grasslands, and marsh edges across the northern prairies and locally into Michigan, and it passes through the state as a migrant, especially in fall. Tied to the same kind of damp grassland habitat that many secretive marsh sparrows need, it is a prized and challenging find for patient birders willing to work a wet meadow.
Feeds on insects and other small invertebrates during breeding, along with grass and weed seeds, foraging on or near the ground within dense wet grassland vegetation. It gleans prey and seeds from the soil and low plants, staying hidden in the grass and sedge.
Look for a small sparrow with a bright orange-buff face and breast, a gray central crown stripe, fine dark side streaks, and a streaked purplish nape. Getting a look is the hard part, since it skulks in wet grass.
Le Conte's Sparrow runs mouse-like through dense wet grass rather than flying, and when flushed it drops quickly back into cover. Its thin, insect-like song is easily overlooked, so patience is needed to find one.
It breeds locally in wet sedge meadows, damp grasslands, and marsh edges, and passes through the state as a migrant, especially in fall. It favors the same damp grassland habitat as other secretive marsh sparrows.
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