STUDY FIELD GUIDE TO DISTINGUISH ONE TINY SPARROW FROM ANOTHER

Savannah Sparrow

Photo courtesy of Sharon Milligan

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  Subtleties of head and breast patterns distinguish sparrows, small brown-bodied birds with eclectic habitat preferences.

   By employing the divide-and-conquer method of bird identification, you can put some fun into the game of identifying sparrows, and you will get to know some of the most charming birds in all the world.

   In North America, the word sparrow is contained in the names of 34 species, two of which -- the House Sparrow and the Eurasian Tree Sparrow -- are not true sparrows, so make that 32 species. While I don't wish to muddy the waters, there is one species, a true sparrow, that does not have sparrow in its name: the Lark Bunting. It is included in the resulting 33 species with which we are concerned.

   Only 21 of the 33 occur in Mississippi, and only 20 of them have ever been seen on the Coast. To save you time and some head work, they are Bachman's, Chipping, Clay-colored, Field, Vesper, Lark, Savannah, Grasshopper, Henslow's, Le Conte's, Sharp-tailed, Seaside, Fox, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-throated, White-crowned and Harris' sparrows, and add in the Lark Bunting.

   Consider now the law of averages. Of the 20 species above, two species -- the ***Harris' Sparrow and the Lark Bunting -- have been seen only once or twice each in all the years of record keeping. So we are dealing realistically with only 18 species.

   While it is true that any bird capable of flight could conceivably be found anywhere, one of the easiest ways to narrow the possibilities is to consider habitat. For instance, it is highly unlikely that a Bachman's Sparrow, a bird of the pine woods, would be found in the salt marsh. And it is just as unlikely that a Seaside Sparrow, a bird of the salt marsh, ever would be found in the pine woods.

   Five of the 18 species with which we are left tend to occur in a wide variety of habitats: brush, open woodlands, swamps and marshes and back yards. They are Chipping, Field, Song, Swamp and White-throated. You could find one wherever there is vegetation.

   In the pine woods, look for Bachman's, Chipping, Field, Henslow's, Swamp, Song and White-throated (Bachman's is more or less confined to open pine woods; Henslow's is more or less confined to old clear cuts and wet pine savannahs).

   In mixed woodlands, add to those above the Fox and White-crowned sparrows.

   Farmlands, fields, hedgerows in open areas: Clay-colored, Field, Vesper, Lark, Savannah, Fox, Song, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned.

   Salt-marsh scrub: Savannah, Le Conte's, Sharp-tailed, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned.

   Extensive salt marsh: Seaside and Sharp-tailed.

   Overgrown fields in more or less wet areas: Clay-colored, Savannah, Grasshopper, Le Conte's, Sharp-tailed, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp and White-throated.

   Although they don't occur exclusively at feeding stations, certain species can be associated with our back-yard feeding areas. In descending order of abundance, they are White-throated, Chipping, Field, Song, Swamp and White-crowned. (*1996-The Lark Bunting was documented as it fed in back yard -- in August!)

   Sparrows at the feeder provide good opportunities for studying differences in size, shape, behavior and plumages. Of the six mentioned above, note that only one, the Song Sparrow, has prominent breast streaks. Note that the Chipping and Field sparrows are noticeably smaller than the others. Note how the White-throated and White-crowned sparrows (both have prominent "crowns'' and appear "regal'' in shape and posture) scratch the ground for food. Remember that winter sparrows include adult females and first-winter birds; they all won't look bright like the males in breeding plumage shown in field guides. Above all, study that field guide carefully, not just the illustrations but the text.

   My favorite bird, from a sentimental standpoint, is the handsome White-throated Sparrow. In learning it early on, I found that sweet bird more or less opened the door to sparrows in toto. The individual sparrow of any species is a very beautiful creature. With rare exception, sparrow songs are among the loveliest you'll ever hear.

   Don't let the apparent sameness of the sparrows blind you to their exquisite differences. Get to know them through your own identification endeavors, and you will discover a few more reasons why birding, back yard or in the field, is full of wonderful surprises.

*** Editor’s note (2016) A Harris’ sparrow was found at the Pascagoula River Audubon Centre in the last week, and photographed by Sharon Milligan on 01/19/2016