Toward the end of October, our first cold fronts bring winter sparrows to our seed feeders. Two species are conspicuous in terms of numbers and colors. A front passes, usually with rain, sometime during the day or night. About the only birds at the feeders before the front passes are chickadees, titmice, wrens, and cardinals. But, the next morning, sparrows appear with the resident birds. White-throated Sparrows are the larger birds tending to remain on the ground and darting out to find food from cover. Chipping Sparrows are the smaller birds that crowd around feeders seemingly unconcerned about predators. White-throated Sparrows have conspicuous white throats, hence the name. The head pattern is striking with black and white stripes including a prominent white eyebrow in most birds although some birds have tan eyebrows! Look for a bright yellow patch between the eyes and the bill. They are rusty above and grayish below. The song, often heard even in winter, is typically two strong clear notes followed by 3 to 4 long notes at a much lower pitch. The call note is a sharp "tseep". I once heard the song in a small woodlot in July near St. Martinville, Louisiana but never found the source. This was very unusual because White-throated Sparrows do not nest anywhere in Louisiana and there are very few reports of individual birds in summer. But, heck, a mockingbird might have been imitating a White-throated Sparrow at an odd time of year?! Chipping Sparrows are no more than two-thirds the size of a White-throated Sparrows. They have bright rufous crowns, white eyebrows, and black eye lines. The back is orange brown with black streaking. The face, throat, and belly are gray. Unlike White-throated Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows are year round residents of the southern piney woods and nest in the area. However, their numbers swell every autumn when cold winds drive northern birds south. The Chipping Sparrow "song" is a rapid trill of dry chip notes. It is actually similar to the song of the Pine Warblers that nest in the same piney woods habitat. The call note is a high "tsip" which I simply cannot hear unless listening to a tape! You might, in a good year, have 15-20 White-throated Sparrows visiting your feeders, especially during cold, rainy weather. But, at the same time, it is not unusual to have 50-75 Chipping Sparrows mobbing your feeders. And, as you drive or walk along in most rural areas, similar large flocks often flush from the roadside into surrounding brush and trees. These are often made up not only of Chipping Sparrows but goodly numbers of Pine Warblers and a few Eastern Bluebirds. But, heck, you say, I keep seeing some sparrow-like birds around my feeders that have dark gray to black backs and gray to black heads. And, when they flush, I see prominent white outer tail feathers. Welcome to the world of the handsome Dark-eyed Junco, also a true sparrow. If you notice some variation in junco color patterns including some rufous coloring on the sides and throat, welcome to the world of subspecies. Once, ornithologists identified four separate junco species. Now, they contend that there is only one species with great diversity. Juncos, like White-throated Sparrows, only visit our piney woods region in the cool/cold months. But, according to some authorities, the two species sometimes hybridize. Gosh, there are over 25 true sparrows found in our region but only three are truly common visitors to backyard feeders. Enjoy the common ones and keep your eyes open for some of the others that do, from time to time, come to feeders. Jay V. Huner |
