McGILL BIRD OBSERVATORY

Many beginning birders (and more than a few fairly experienced ones) despair over the sparrows, insisting that they are all confusingly similar "little brown jobs".  But just like identifying the fall warblers becomes more manageable once characteristics are used to break the down into smaller groups of similar species, applying this technique to sparrows helps to identify them correctly.  This article is not intended to be used as a stand-alone guide to sparrow identification, but rather as a somewhat offbeat alternative perspective that may help you look at them in a new way and provide some memory tricks that will be helpful in combination with the use of traditional field guides.

Know the locals
Out-of-range rarities are always a possibility in birding, and although not as strongly migratory as some other passerines, sparrows are no exception.  However, the vast majority of birds you encounter will be the regularly occurring species in your area.  Sometimes the ability to identify those gets taken for granted, but in reality, if you are really familiar with those species and their key characteristics, it will make it all the easier for you to recognize a rarity when it does appear, and to be confident that it IS in fact something different (even if you don't immediately recognize just what it is).  Practice looking for the key features of common birds, and the differences will jump out at you much more obviously when something doesn't fit the usual patterns.

The HBBT approach
The popular myth that sparrows are all brown and quite alike is just a matter of overall impression - if you know what to look for, there are actually rather few species that should cause any confusion.  Sparrow identification can be made easier by focusing on the features that Help Better Birders Tell which species they are looking at.  For sparrows, these tend to be the Head, Breast, Back, and in some cases Tail. 

The wonderfully varied world of sparrows
With a bit of closer examination, it becomes apparent that there is a lot of variation between sparrow species.  A simple way to subdivide the sparrows is by classifying them as having a streaked or plain breast, and beyond that further subdivisions are possible.  The table below summarizes these for the 17 sparrow species seen with some regularity in southwestern Quebec and eastern Ontario.  Below that, the distinguishing features of species within each group are outlined further.  Refer to the MBO Photo Identification Gallery for pictures of many of these species, along with further detail on determining the age and sex of individuals once species has been identified.  Note that some of the descriptions below are overly simplified as there may be variation within species by age and/or sex; again, this is not meant as a definitive guide, but rather as an alternative approach that may help you focus on important features, in combination with tips from other sources.

"Standard streakers"
These four species have prominently streaked breasts at all times of year.  To add to the challenge, they overlap considerably in habitat, with the first three common in wetlands, and the last two common in grasslands.  Focus especially on the head and breast patterns, which are quite distinct for each species, and will also separate them from the three "part-time streakers".

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	Head	Breast	Back	Tail
Lincoln's Sparrow	thin gray central line amid chestnut crown; gray and brown face; buff malar	sharp contrast between buff upper breast and white lower breast; streaks only on buff area	buff with dark brown streaking	dark brown feathers with lighter brown edging
Song Sparrow	brown and gray markings, with fine and generally faint streaking on the crown	distinct central breast spot amid a breast fairly heavily streaked brown	grayish brown with dark brown streaking	uniformly brown
Savannah Sparrow	yellow lores; pale narrow central crown stripe; contrasting white and black malar stripes	entire underparts uniformly streaked	gray to brown, streaked black	dark brown, sometimes light edging to feathers visible
Vesper Sparrow	white eye-ring; contrasting off-white and black malar stripes	whitish with dark streaking on breast and flanks	streaked gray-brown and black	dark, with white outer feathers

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"Part-time streakers"
These are three species in which adults are plain-breasted, but juveniles have streaks on the breast that may in some cases persist into the fall.  Only the juvenile plumage is described in this section; see below for the adult profiles.  White-throated Sparrow can to some extent be distinguished from others by its larger size.

	Head	Breast	Back	Tail
Chipping Sparrow	crown brown and faintly streaked; supercilium gray and faintly streaked	uniformly pale gray with thin dark brown streaking across entire breast	dark/light brown stripes; large gray rump	uniformly brown to dark brown
White-throated Sparrow	broad grayish to tan supercilium, lores may be gray or faintly yellowish	gray with relatively thin blackish streaking across much of breast	brown with black stripes	feathers dark brown with lighter brown edging
Swamp Sparrow	crown dark brown and faintly streaked; supercilium buff-brown and faintly streaked	upper breast buff with thin blackish streaking, lower breast whitish and largely unmarked	rusty brown to gray-brown, black streaking	dark brown feathers with rusty edging

"Skulking yellowheads"
These three species are the most secretive of the eastern sparrows, spending most of the time among grasses close to the ground, and rarely popping into view for more than a brief glimpse.  Knowing exactly what key features to look for is particularly important for uncooperative species such as these.

	Head	Breast	Back	Tail
Grasshopper Sparrow	pale buff-white central crown stripe with black stripe on either side; buff to orange lores	pale buff to white, generally only pale streaks along side of the breast, sometimes lacking	strongly striped with black, chestnut, and gray; nape gray with rufous streaks	feathers somewhat pointed, blackish with pale brown edges
Le Conte's Sparrow	black and white crown stripes; buff-orange supercilium and malar; gray cheek	mostly white with some buff on the upper breast; distinct black streaking mostly along the sides	strongly striped with black, brown, and tan; nape gray with rufous streaks	feathers very pointed, narrow black centres with tan edges
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow	black and gray crown stripes; dark orange supercilium and malar; dark gray cheek	extensive buff wash; relatively pale and indistinct streaking, mostly along sides	dark brown and black back, relatively little contrast; nape gray and unstreaked	feathers pointed, narrow black centres with brown edges

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"Big 'n' rusty"
There's really nothing else like a Fox Sparrow - except perhaps a Hermit Thrush!  The eastern Fox Sparrow can in fact be very similar in overall colour and size to the Hermit Thrush, but note the conical sparrow-like bill compared to the much longer thinner thrush-bill, and the much heavier and coarser breast markings.

	Head	Breast	Back	Tail
Fox Sparrow	boldly marked with gray and rust	extensive blotchy rusty streaking	gray streaked with rust	uniformly brown with rusty edging

"Rusties & plainfacers"
These five species have largely to entirely plain breasts, and a rusty crown and/or rather unmarked, plain face.  The head pattern is usually the most important feature to study closely; in a couple of cases the rump is distinctive.

	Head	Breast	Back	Tail
Swamp Sparrow	rusty crown, sometimes with black markings; generally gray face	gray to buff, sometimes with very faint streaking	rusty brown to gray-brown, black streaking	dark brown feathers with rusty edging
American Tree Sparrow	rusty crown and eyeline; otherwise gray face; bill black above and yellow below	gray, small central dark spot	black/buff/chestnut stripes	uniformly dark gray
Chipping Sparrow (spring/summer - alternate plumage)	bold contrasts between rusty crown, white supercilium, and black eyeline	light gray to buff, fading to white lower on breast	dark/light brown stripes large gray rump	uniformly brown to dark brown
Chipping Sparrow (fall - basic plumage)	dark streaked crown; pale buff supercilium; tan cheek, white malar; indistinct gray collar	light gray to buff, fading to white lower on breast	dark/light brown stripes large gray rump	uniformly brown to dark brown
Field Sparrow	rusty crown and eyeline; otherwise gray to buff face; bill pink, white eyering	buff to whitish, unmarked	black/buff/chestnut stripes	uniformly brownish-gray
Clay-coloured Sparrow (spring/summer - alternate plumage)	bold contrasts between tan cheek, gray nape, white malar, and off-white supercilium	buff to white, unmarked	buff/dark brown stripes; buff-tan rump	uniformly dark brown
Clay-coloured Sparrow (fall - basic plumage)	buff supercilium and malar; tan cheek; distinct gray collar	buff to white, unmarked	buff/dark brown stripes; buff-tan rump	uniformly dark brown

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"Large 'n' striped"
These two large species are noticeably bigger than all other eastern sparrows except the Fox Sparrow, and are readily identifiable by the stripes on their head.

	Head	Breast	Back	Tail
White-throated Sparrow	broad tan or white supercilium and yellow lores; white throat contrasting with gray cheek	gray, sometimes very faintly streaked	brown with black stripes	feathers dark brown with lighter brown edging
White-crowned Sparrow	alternating black and white (adult) or buff and brown (juvenile) crown stripes; pink bill	uniformly gray	grayish with brown to black stripes	feathers dark brown with lighter brown edging

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"The lone grayling"
Although there are many plumage variations of the Dark-eyed Junco across North America, its basic pattern of plumage is sufficiently different from all other sparrows that it can be easily recognized.

	Head	Breast	Back	Tail
Dark-eyed Junco	uniformly gray or brownish-gray	upper part gray to brownish gray; lower part white	unstreaked, gray to brown	outer feathers white

Concluding thoughts
Everyone's learning approach and memory techniques are different.  The information presented in this article has proven helpful for some birders, and not for others.  Regardless of which category you fall into, remember that there is no substitute for experience - spend enough time watching the common sparrows in your area, and you can develop your own unique personalized ways of identifying each species.

 

 

© 2002- The Migration Research Foundation Inc.