"Grasshopper" — the main course or the bird?

This little bird is one of the few birds whose name is associated with its diet. And that’s why I chose to feature the little Grasshopper Sparrow in my “What’s For Dinner” series. Although this bird has a reputation for being quite secretive, I found a dirt road in El Reno, Oklahoma that is home to some very cooperative Grasshopper Sparrows. These birds are one of the smallest sparrows which made it easy to identify the birds while they perched on the barbed wire fence. And they would sit still, allow me to drive next to them and let me take a few pictures! I have to love a bird that is that friendly. And this little one made a dive into a field while I was photographing and popped up on the fence with dinner! Looks like it could be a tasty grasshopper!

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says the Grasshopper Sparrow not only takes its name from its diet but also from it’s insect-like song. They are migrants and breed in Oklahoma as well as most states east of the Rocky Mountains. The Date Guide to the Occurrences of Birds in Oklahoma lists their early arrival date as March 27; they depart by November 2.

This species is undergoing declines in population due primarily to habitat loss. The declines are most severe in Florida, where a subspecies is listed as endangered, and along the East Coast. In Oklahoma the bird remains a summer favorite along wheat fields in rural areas — I’ve returned to visit the camera-friendly El Reno clan many times!