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Bayou City Birding Sparrow Cheat Sheet WhiteOakBayou.org

Thanks to all whose photos are featured! Photos were cropped, with hyperlinks connecting to websites/licenses.

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HOUSE

SONG Cephas

WHITE-THROATED

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Sharo

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HARRIS’S

Factum

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FOX

WHITE-CROWNED

SWAMP Jam

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LINCOLN’S Jo

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SAVANNAH Wendy W

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LARK Ela

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Ben H

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WHITE-THROATED

Mik

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CHIPPING

Lin

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CLAY-COLORED

Po

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Fuggle

stein

FIELD

Jo

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VESPER

David

Iliff

SEASIDE Andy Jo

rdan

LE CONTE’S

Julio

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K

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Schneid

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GRASSHOPPER

NELSON’S

HOUSE

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Find more of the Bayou City Birding zines, posters, flashcards, and cheat sheets at

WhiteOakBayou.org/resources-and-zines

** Need help with the bird jargon? See Sparrow Flashcards #2. **

WHITE-THROATED

Zonotrichia albicollis

White-striped morph has a

white eyebrow, malar, and

throat, with yellow above

the lore. (Young birds look

like tan morphs.) Gray bill,

white wingbars, unstreaked

breast/flanks, and long tail.

SONG

Melospiza melodia

White malar, big triangular

throat stripe, and splotchy

spot at the center of the

streaked breast. Gray bill,

faint wingbars, heavily

streaked breast/flanks, and

medium-length tail.

CHIPPING

Spizella passerina

Rusty-brown crown and a

black eyeline that extends

to the bill, looking like a

pencil tucked behind an ear.

Pinkish bill, white wingbars,

unstreaked breast/flanks,

and long notched tail.

SEASIDE

Ammodramus maritimus

Gray face with a yellow-

orange lore and malar.

(Young birds have a white

malar.) Long gray bill, faint

buff wingbars, oddly

streaked orange and gray

breast/flanks, and short tail.

WHITE-THROATED

Zonotrichia albicollis

Tan-striped morph is grayer

overall, with the malar and

throat divided by a faint

gray throat stripe. Gray bill,

white wingbars, variable

fine or blurry streaking on

breast/flanks, and long tail.

SWAMP

Melospiza georgiana

Facial markings look blurry.

Note the rusty-red wings

and tail, and the warm

brown flanks. Gray bill, no

wingbars, faint/blurry

streaking on breast/flanks,

and medium-length tail.

CLAY-COLORED

Spizella pallida

Pale face with an eyering,

tan lore, white malar, and

brown throat stripe. Looks

very cute. Grayish-pink bill,

buff wingbars, unstreaked

tan breast/flanks, and long

notched tail.

LE CONTE’S

Ammodramus leconteii

Bright buffy eyebrow and

unbordered malar, with

lighter buff on breast/flanks.

Dart-like eyeline above the

gray cheek. Gray bill, no

wingbars, boldly streaked

flanks, and short tail.

WHITE-CROWNED

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Black-and-white “bike

helmet” on an otherwise

gray head. (Young birds

have brown and gray

stripes.) Pinkish bill, white

wingbars, unstreaked

breast/flanks, and long tail.

LINCOLN’S

Melospiza lincolnii

Buff malar, breast, and

flanks, and lots of fine-line

streaking. Crown feathers

are often raised. Gray bill,

faint buff wingbars, neatly

streaked breast/flanks, and

medium-length tail.

FIELD

Spizella pusilla

Plain face and white eyering

make the pink bill pop.

Eyeline/cheek/breast/flanks

can be all gray or orangey.

Pink bill, white wingbars,

unstreaked breast/flanks,

and long notched tail.

NELSON’S

Ammodramus nelsoni

Buff to orange eyebrow

and malar on a relatively

plain face. Light buff/orange

on streaked breast/flanks.

Gray bill, no wingbars,

faintly streaked breast/

flanks, and short tail.

HARRIS’S

Zonotrichia querula

Black crown, lore, throat,

and bib. (Young birds have

less black on the crown and

a mostly white throat.) Big

pink bill, white wingbars,

streaked brown flanks, and

long tail.

SAVANNAH

Passerculus sandwichensis

White eyering, brown

cheek framed by an eyeline

and mustache, and some

yellow on the eyebrow.

Two-tone bill, faint buff

wingbars, neatly streaked

breast/flanks, and short tail.

VESPER

Pooecetes gramineus

Facial markings seem fuzzy,

except for the bold white

eyering and malar. Two-

tone bill, buffy wingbars,

finely streaked breast/flanks,

and medium-length tail

with white outer feathers.

GRASSHOPPER

Ammodramus savannarum

Plain face, with a white

eyering, a hint of orange

above the lore, and small

dark marks at the back of

the cheek. Gray bill, faint

buff wingbars, unstreaked

breast/flanks, and short tail.

FOX

Passerella iliaca

Covered with rusty-red

streaks painted on with far

too much enthusiasm.

Definitely not an LBJ. Two-

tone bill, faint wingbars,

super-streaked breast/flanks,

and medium-length tail.

LARK

Chondestes grammacus

Unusually bold facial

markings and a dark spot

on the breast. (Young birds

are less colorful.) Gray bill,

buff wingbars, unstreaked

breast/flanks, and long tail

with white outer feathers.

HOUSE (male)

Passer domesticus

Gray crown, black lore,

and rusty area behind the

eye and above the gray

cheek. Throat/bib grows

blacker as spring arrives and

feather tips wear. Hangs

out anywhere there’s food.

HOUSE (female)

Passer domesticus

Pale eyebrow between the

darker crown and fuzzy

eyeline. Two-tone bill, faint

wingbars, unstreaked

breast/flanks, and short tail.

Non-native and not related

to our other sparrows.

© 2019 Wendy Wright

http://www.WhiteOakBayou.org/resources-and-zines