Today one of the backyard feeders is simply loaded up with small brown (and variations of brown) birds. Spring is in the air, so it’s time to discuss the sparrows that come with warmer weather.
In northern and eastern Canada and the United States we have over 10 sparrows that frequent the feeder and fields. Telling them all apart can be a bit daunting, but there are some differences in appearances, mannerisms and song that help us to identify each of the species.
The first, my favorite, is the Song Sparrow, aptly named for their lovely voices. If you’re not prone to watching for Spring, but can’t help but hear it coming the Song Sparrow will alert you to the warm winds on the way. They arrive, singing short and sweet, in March in our territory. There’s no mistaking the sound, if you spend any time outside during the colder months, because the Song Sparrow’s voice is one you haven’t heard for many months.
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Next, I’ll introduce you to the Fox Sparrow – the largest and most beautiful in my opinion of the sparrows. This bird likes cooler summers so they are usually quite north in Canada during summer, but in the fall they begin heading south with their young.
The same can be said for the Canada Sparrow, the White Crowned Sparrow and the White Throated Sparrow. I can’t say for certain if they travel together, but they do seem to show up at the same time. I’ve noticed this both in Massachusetts and in northern Ontario.
Sparrows that you’re likely to see in the summer, on your country walks or treks through uninhabited fields are the Vespers (aka Field Sparrow).
Not quite as large as the Fox sparrow, but a little bigger than the Song. These are the birds who seem to fly up at you from the ground showing only a slight flick of white tail feathers on the way. They nest and roost in the grass and are often seen in country road ditches either foraging or dusting their wings in the soft earth. Vesper sparrows are also known as grass finch, and bay-winged sparrow. They sing as sweetly as the Song sparrow, but because they sing in the evening I like to think of them as my lullaby bird.
Now if you’ve had the experience of happening upon a sparrow in the field but it’s not a dry grassy plain, only slightly boggy or marsh like, you’ve likely run into the the Savanna or swamp Sparrow.
The Chipping Sparrow is another of this family. He has a slightly reddish coloration on his head – I’ll get you a picture shortly of all these sparrows so you can tell them apart in your own yard. The Chipping sparrow is said to be the most sociable of it’s family and is the only sparrow who builds their nests in trees.
