One of the most common birds we see at our feeders is the chipping sparrow.  During the winter, it is not uncommon for me to count 30-40 “chippies” feeding in my bird feeder area.  Once warm weather arrives, they simply disappear even though I provide them with as much food as I do throughout the winter.

      Two of the main reasons why we see so many chipping sparrows in the winter is the chipping sparrows that bred locally have abandon their breeding territories and migrants that were raised far to the north of Georgia. The truth of the matter is literally thousands of chipping sparrows winter in the Peach State.  Once here, flocks of chipping sparrows roam places like fields and roadsides looking for the seeds of crabgrass, ragweed and the like.  They are also particularly fond of feeding in our backyards. Here they find an abundance of easily accessible food.

       By far, the chipping sparrows that feed in my yard prefer dining on while millet seeds. Others have found they will also eat canary seed cracked corn and hulled sunflower seeds.