Bird’s ID – Song Sparrow | H.J. Ruiz

The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is a medium-sized American sparrow. Among the native sparrows in North America, it is easily one of the most abundant, variable and adaptable species.

Adult song sparrows have brown upperparts with dark streaks on the back and are white underneath with dark streaking and a dark brown spot in the middle of the breast. They have a brown cap and a long brown rounded tail. Their face is gray with a streak through the eye. They are highly variable in size across numerous subspecies The maximum lifespan in the wild is 11.3 years. The eggs of the Song sparrow are brown with greenish-white spots. Females lay three to five eggs per clutch, with an average incubation time of 13–15 days before hatching.

In the field, they are most easily confused with the Lincoln’s sparrow and the Savannah sparrow. The former can be recognized by its shorter, grayer tail and the differently-patterned head, the brown cheeks forming a clear-cut angular patch. The Savannah sparrow has a forked tail and yellowish flecks on the face when seen up close.

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17 thoughts on “Bird’s ID – Song Sparrow”

silviadeangelis40d on October 24, 2018 at 7:20 am said:

Primi piani davvero superlativi, complimentissimi!
Un saluto,silvia

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- H.J. for avian101 on October 24, 2018 at 5:56 pm said:
  
  Grazie mille cara Silvia! 🙂
  
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susanpoozan on October 24, 2018 at 10:55 am said:

Wonderful gallery, you are such a good photographer.

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- H.J. for avian101 on October 24, 2018 at 6:09 pm said:
  
  Thanks Susan, you are so kind. 🙂
  
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Val on October 24, 2018 at 4:21 pm said:

Oh, that is such a sweet little bird. 🙂

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- H.J. for avian101 on October 24, 2018 at 6:15 pm said:
  
  Thanks Val! 🙂
  
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Indira on October 24, 2018 at 6:42 pm said:

Beautiful pictures of the song sparrow!

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- H.J. for avian101 on October 24, 2018 at 7:05 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much Indira. 🙂
  
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aussiebirder on October 24, 2018 at 6:54 pm said:

Great shots and interesting reading on your sparrows HJ. We only have two sparrow types here and they are introduced from England.

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- H.J. for avian101 on October 24, 2018 at 7:06 pm said:
  
  Thank you Ashley for sharing. 🙂
  
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Clare Pooley on October 24, 2018 at 7:27 pm said:

What a pretty little bird!

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- H.J. for avian101 on October 24, 2018 at 7:52 pm said:
  
  Thank you Clare! 🙂
  
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  - Clare Pooley on October 24, 2018 at 8:25 pm said:
    
    My pleasure, HJ!
tanjabrittonwriter on October 24, 2018 at 7:48 pm said:

Beautiful portraits of one of my favorite sparrows, H.J. I love their song, and the fact that they are not too shy, and often allow me to approach them, to take a closer look.

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- H.J. for avian101 on October 24, 2018 at 7:56 pm said:
  
  I call them the “mice” because they are always looking around objects to find bugs. Thank you Tanja for sharing. 🙂
  
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bayphotosbydonna on October 27, 2018 at 10:15 am said:

Just love your second capture, HJ! Excellent profile, and a nice smile for you!

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- H.J. for avian101 on October 27, 2018 at 1:54 pm said:
  
  Thank you Donna. It’s a good shot. 🙂
  
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