It is a less common passerine bird that often stays hidden under thick ground cover, but can be distinguished by its sweet, wrenlike song.

[2] Its breeding habitat is subalpine and montane zones across Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern and western United States, although they are less common in the eastern parts of their range.

They prefer to be near dense shrub cover and their nests are well-concealed shallow open cups on the ground under vegetation.

In 2010, a Lincoln's sparrow was observed for the first time in the Dominican Republic, and there have also been several records of this species in montane regions of Haiti.

[6] However, the skulking behavior of this bird and their preference for densely-covered habitats makes it difficult to accurately describe the full range of this species.

[2] This bird has two calls sounds: one is an aggressive, flat tup or chip while the other is a soft, high-pitched buzzy zeet.

[2] In the winter, the majority of their diet consists of small seeds of weeds and grasses, but when available they will also eat terrestrial vertebrates.

[2] During the breeding season, they mainly feed on arthropods including insect larvae, ants, spiders, beetles, flies, moths, caterpillars, mayflies, and others.

[2] Males arrive to the breeding ground in mid to late May and begin to sing in order to attract a mate.

[8] Clutch size is typically 3–5 eggs[2] which are oval in shape and colored pale green to greenish-white and spotted reddish brown.

[11] Males that hatch later in the breeding season tend to have bill shapes that are less suitable for producing songs that attract females, and thus, have lower reproductive success.