A NESTING POPULATION OF CASSIN SPARROWS IN THE SANDHILLS OF NEBRASKA

In 1993 a small population of Cassin's Sparrows (Aimophila cassinii) w as found nesting in the sandhills of Nebraska. There were at least six pairs, and three nests, one with five eggs and two with five young, w ere found. As singing males may not indicate nesting in this species, numerous earlier sightings have not clarified the breeding status of t he Cassin's Sparrow in the central and northern Great Plains. These fi ndings suggest that Cassin's Sparrows nest locally and periodically in this region, especially in substantial grasslands with high densities of grasshoppers.