About Spiza americana (J.F.Gmelin, 1789)
Dickcissels, with the scientific name Spiza americana (J.F.Gmelin, 1789), measure 5.5–6.3 inches (140–160 mm) in length, have a wingspan of 9.8–10.2 inches (250–260 mm), and weigh 0.9–1.4 ounces (26–40 g). Dickcissels have a large pale bill, a yellow line over the eyes, brownish upperparts with black streaks on the back, dark wings, a rust patch on the shoulders, and light underparts. Adult males have a black throat patch, a yellow breast, and grey cheeks and crown. This head and breast pattern is especially bright in breeding plumage, giving the species an appearance similar to the eastern meadowlark. Females and juveniles have brownish cheeks and crown, and look somewhat similar to house sparrows; they also have streaked flanks. In flight, dickcissels produce a low, "electric", buzzing fpppt call. When singing from an open perch in a field, this bird's song consists of a sharp dick dick followed by a buzzed cissel; the song is also transcribed as skee-dlees chis chis chis or dick dick ciss ciss ciss. This species' breeding habitat is open fields in midwestern North America. After the breeding season ends, dickcissels migrate in large flocks to southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. They may appear as vagrants far outside their typical range. Between 1966 and 2015, the dickcissel population experienced an annual reduction of over 1.5% in the northern portion of its breeding range and across the Midwestern United States.
