When a Savannah Sparrow is flushed, it tends to fly up to a perch and face its pursuer as it lands, distinguishing itself from LeConte’s Sparrow and Grasshopper Sparrow, which tend to dive into the grass head-first. It’s about the same size as a Song Sparrow, with a slightly shorter tail that’s notched, not rounded. A close look at a Savannah Sparrow’s face usually reveals a wash of yellow color in front of the eyes, and sometimes above and behind them as well-but the richness and extent of this marking is highly variable. ![]() The Savannah Sparrow is found in various grassy habitats in much of North America. ![]() Savannah Sparrow by Bryan Calk/Macaulay Library. See more Savannah Sparrow photos in Macaulay Library. Find out more about Fox Sparrows in the All About Birds species guide. The Fox Sparrow’s song is a series of clear musical notes and sliding whistles.įox Sparrows also vary in appearance across their range, with 5 distinctive-looking forms in North America. Like the Song Sparrow, it has streaks on its chest and sides, but the streaks are thicker and blurrier, as if drawn with a kindergartner’s crayon instead of a paintbrush. When feeding, the Fox Sparrow uses a “double-scratch” technique, hopping quickly forward and backward to uncover food among ground vegetation and leaf litter. Most birders see it on migration or in the winter, when it uses more varied habitats and sometimes shows up beneath bird feeders. Unlike the Song Sparrow, which breeds across much of the eastern and western U.S., the Fox Sparrow breeds farther north, in the scrubby boreal forest, or in shrubby mountain habitats. Fox Sparrow by Celine Bellemare/Macaulay Library. See more Fox Sparrow photos in Macaulay Library. This species also has two triangular brown stripes on either side of its throat, a whitish or grayish eyebrow, and a thin dark line behind the eye.īe aware that Song Sparrows show a tremendous amount of variation across their range-so find out more about Song Sparrows in the All About Birds species guide. The brown streaks on its chest look painted on, and they usually come together in a big splotch in the center. Because it’s common in backyards, the Song Sparrow is a great starter species for birders to learn field marks in detail, which can be helpful for comparing and contrasting with other sparrow species.Ĭompared to other sparrows, the Song Sparrow is medium-sized and long-tailed. Its distinct song usually starts with several clear notes followed by buzzes, trills, or other complex notes, and it tends to sing frequently in the spring and early summer. Song Sparrow by Ryan Schain/Macaulay Library. These high energy birds never seem to stop and rest, but when they do, they are absolutely stunning! The scalloped mating feathers on the males necks have a metallic sheen, and are just amazing! At some point, I hope to get some setup photos of these itsy bitsy beauties, if I can attract them to my yard.See more Song Sparrow photos in Macaulay Library. I’ve seen a lot of amazing hummingbird photos of them in flight, drinking nectar from a flower…but few of them perching. I set my tripod up near the bush, and waited for him to perch, which he did on a fairly regular period as he patrolled and defended his territory. I found the small territory of one, a circle of five trees and a bush. There must have been a couple dozen of them, zipping about in the sky, flying their mating arcs or fighting each other off. (I absolutely LOVE the creamy boke this new lens produces…its like silk!)įinally, the Hummingbirds were everywhere. Eventually he appeared, meal in its beak. I only heard the sound of a bird I’d not heard before, and waited with my lens pointed and focused in the general direction and location in the tree. The Towhee was difficult to spot at first…she initially blended so well into the pine. I must have counted a wren returning about 20 times or more while I sat there photographing. The House Wren had a nest in an old nest box on a post, and it seemed as though both the mother and the father were hunting insects and feeding a full brood (the chicks could be heard clearly, although not seen as they were nicely tucked away inside the next box). The full list of species that I spotted includes a few more: I brought my camera, and managed to make some excellent photos of several bird species that don’t seem to frequent my back yard: House Wren, Green-tailed Towhee, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. ![]() They live up in the mountains where the scenery is far more beautiful, and the songbird species diversity is considerably greater than in my back yard. On the Fourth of July, I spent the day at my parents house.
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