Brooke Pemberton & Victoria Spencer
Starlings
- Dark, glossy birds
- Sociable and bold
- Ground foragers
- Four species are found in North America
European Starling
- Identifiers
- Iridescent black plumage
- Yellow bill with blue (male) or pink/purple (female) base
- Short, square tail
- Stocky body
- Behavior
- Will imitate songs of other species
- Habitat
- Towns; avoid forests and deserts
Emberizids
- Includes towhees, sparrows, longspurs, and Emberiza buntings
- All species possess conical bills
- Diets include small seeds, fruit, and insects
- Ground foragers
- Habitat in grassy fields and open woods
- Geographically concentrated in the east due to diet and habitat restrictions
Field Sparrow
- Identifiers
- Gray face with reddish cap
- Distinct whitish eye ring
- Bright pink bill
- Back is streaked except on gray-brown rump
- Unstreaked chest
- Call
- Clear whistles accelerates into "chip"
- Nesting
- Open cup of large grass pieces placed on ground in grass clumps or at base of shrubs
- Additional
- Male will return to same breeding territory every year. Females are less likely and young sparrows rarely return to where they were born.
- Male sings vigorously until he finds a mate, but rarely after that.
Chipping Sparrow
- Identifiers
- Bright chestnut crown with white eyebrow
- Black line extending from bill through eye to ear
- Gray nape and cheek
- Gray unstreaked rump
- Two white wing bars
- Tail is fairly long and notched
- Call
- Rapid, dry "chip" notes all on one pitch
- High, hard "seep" or "tsik"
- Nesting
- Male guards female as she builds nest, but doesn't help
- Females are picky about nest placement
- Additional
- "The little brown-capped pensioner of the dooryard and lawn, that comes about farmhouse doors to glean crumbs shaken from the tablecloth by thrifty housewives." -Edward Forbush
- Move to apline tundra to molt
Song Sparrow
- Identifiers
- Long, rounded tail
- Broad grayish eyebrow and broad, dark malar stripe bordering whitish throat
- Upperparts (chest) usually streaked
- Underparts whitish, with streaking on sides and breast that often converges in a central spot
- Legs and feet pinkish
- Call
- Loud, 2-6 phrases that starts with abrupt, well-spaced notes and finishes with a buzz or trill
- Additional
- In British Columbia, observed picking at the droppings of Glaucous-winged Gulls
Seaside Sparrow
- Identifiers
- Long, spike-like bill with thick-base and thin-tip
- Short, pointed tail
- Yellow loral patch
- Dark malar stripe separates whitish throat and broad, pale stripe along cheek
- White or buffy chest with some streaking
- Habitat
- Grassy tidal marshes; sometimes accidentally travel inland
- Additional
- Dusky Seaside Sparrow went extinct in 1987
White-Throated Sparrow
- Identifiers
- Strongly outlined white throat
- Mostly dark bill
- Dark crown stripes and eyeline
- Broad eyebrow is yellow in the front and the remainder is white or tan
- Upperparts rusty-brown
- Underparts grayish, sometimes with streaking
- Call
- "Pure sweet Canada Canada Canada"
- Sharp "pink" and long "tseep"
- Additional
- Mates with Dark-eyed Junco to produce hybrids
Old World Sparrows
- Two species from the Old World (Europe) that have established themselves in North America
- Characterized by shorter legs and thicker bills than native sparrows
House Sparrow
- Identifiers
- Gray crown
- Chestnut nape
- Black bib
- Black bill
- Call
- Simple song of one or a series of "cheep" or "chirrup" notes
- Habitats
- Populated areas
- Parking lots
- Additional
- Also known as English Sparrow
Finches
- Seedeaters with undulating (smooth, wavelike motion) flight
- Many nest in far north and in the fall flocks of "winter finches" may migrate south
Purple Finch
-
Identifiers
- Not purple, but rose over most of body, brightest on head and rump
- Back is streaked
- Tail strongly notched
- Call
- "Hear me? See me? Here I am."
- Habitat
- Coniferous or mixed woodland borders, suburbs, parks, orchards
- Additional
- "Sparrow dipped in raspberry juice." -Roger Peterson
House Finch
- Identifiers
- Brown cap
- Front of head, bib, and rump typically red but can vary to orange or yellow
- Bib clearly set off from streaked underparts
- Tail is squarish
- Call
- Variation of three-pitch notes, ends with nasal "wheer"
- Whistled "wheat"
- Habitat
- Desert lowlands and slopes
- Range has rapidly expanded to the west since 1940s, especially in towns
American Goldfinch
- Identifiers
- Bright yellow with black cap
- Black wings with white bars and yellow shoulder patch
- Uppertail and undertail coverts white
- Tail black and white
- Call
- Habitat
- Weedy fields, open second-growth woodlands, roadsides, especially in thistles and sunflowers
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