Twelve of Missouri's twenty-one types of sparrows can be found in some part of the state on a regular basis
Sparrows are the least colorful
members of a large family of birds that includes cardinals and tanagers. The
beautiful indigo bunting and the shy rufus-sided towhee are close relatives,
too.
Sparrows are seed eating birds that prefer open fields or grasslands with areas of thick brush nearby. They not only prefer to feed on the ground, most build their nests on or close to the ground.
Brown is the safest color of a "ground" bird, though the heads and chests of any sparrows are highlighted with colorful stripes, crown patches or spots.
Twenty-one types of sparrows can be found in some part of Missouri on a regular basis. While several sparrows nest in various parts of the state and a few merely pass through, winter is the season of choice for most of our little brown friends.
Winter is an ideal time to search out sparrows because they tend to be less shy and the absence of leaves provides easier viewing. Many different sparrows will visit a bird feeder area, while even more can be found by taking a winter stroll along the edge of an open field.
To identify a sparrow, it helps to look at specific parts of the bird to narrow
your choices down quickly. First, look at the bird's body. Does the chest have
stripes or is it a clear, solid color? And second, look at the bird's head.
Does it have stripes, a crown patch, a white throat, or "whiskers"?
If checking these field marks does not assure you of your identification, you can check beak and leg color and even note the way the bird acts -- does it flick its tail or scratch like a chicken?
Remember, for identification purposes, look at the bird's chest and head. Does it have streaks, whiskers, or a crown patch? Does it have a central chest spot?
No one likes being lumped into a group. The next time a fox sparrow is scratching around in the leaves under your bushes, get out our binoculars and see for yourself -- it's not just a "little brown bird."
Mark McKellar is director of the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary.
The Impostors
The reason most people overlook sparrows is the presence of two birds that are called sparrows but in fact are imposters. The house sparrow and the Eurasian tree sparrow of the St. Louis area are members of a group of finchlike birds known as weavers because of their habit of building large woven nests of dead grass.
Both birds were introduced into this country from Europe in the mid-1800's because people thought the birds were attractive and might help control insect pests. Neither turned out to be big insect eaters and the house sparrow, in particular, is now overabundant in rural regions and around livestock feedlots from coast to coast, giving other true sparrows a bad rap.
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
- gray crown
- black throat and breast
- whitish cheek
- chestnut nape
- broad white wing bars
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
- chestnut or chocolate brown crown
- black throat
- white cheek with black ear patch
- St. Louis vicinity only
- two narrow wing bars
Sparrows With A Streaked Breast
Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)
Size: 6.5-7.5 inches
The fox sparrow is the largest of our sparrows. The name is derived from the bird's foxlike color.
Fox sparrows are not the most common sparrows in Missouri, yet a few can usually be seen each winter. Their populations are the highest in the southeastern part of the state. Look for these birds under shrubs around your backyard, or at the edge of the woods.
Fox sparrows are entertaining to watch as they rustle through the leaves and seeds under your feeders. This style of feeding may remind you of chickens, but fox sparrows kick with both feet at the same time.
- large rusty red and gray sparrow
- streaked breast and flanks -- some streaks look like an inverted "V"
- upper tail surface distinct rusty red
- visible eye ring
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Size: 5-6.5 inches
The song sparrow is an uncommon nester but a common winter resident throughout Missouri. You can find the song sparrow along forest edges and in many backyards.
- breast and flanks streaked with dark brown with central dark spot (this
- spot is usually visible but in some cases may not be prominent)
- head brown with narrow gray
- fine wing bars
Sparrows With An Unstreaked Breast
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)
Size: 6.5-7 inches
White-throated sparrows are dispersed throughout Missouri in the winter. They are rather large and tend to be more common in the southern and eastern parts of the state.
White-throated sparrows are known to many bird-watchers as "Ol' Sam Peabody." This age-old nickname describes the bird's slow, deliberate song that can usually be heard in late fall and early spring, or sometimes throughout the winter. White-throated sparrows are often found in large flocks of birds, which typically include other sparrows.
- unstreaked gray breast and belly
- prominent white throat patch
- head striped with three white or tan stripes
- yellow patch in front of eye
- whitish wing bars
Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)
Size: 5 inches
Field sparrows are common nesting birds throughout Missouri, but retreat to the southern-most counties to ride out the winter.
Many American tree sparrows are misidentified as field sparrows. Look at the bird carefully; field sparrows are much smaller and lighter.
- unstreaked gray breast with slight buffy wash
- rusty crown and face marking
- pink bill, legs and feet
- white wing bars
- white eye ring
- lacks central breast spot of American tree sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
Size: 6.5-7.5 inches
The white-crowned is one of our most common and widespread winter sparrows. It is a close relative of the white-throated sparrow. The white-crowned sparrow is a large sparrow with a clear gray breast and a pink beak.
White-crowned sparrows are generally found in tangles along field edges rather than around bird feeders. Thick brush is important in attracting white-crowns to your backyard. They are usually in the company of white-throated sparrows.
- breast, throat, belly and neck unstreaked light gray
- crown boldly marked with black and white pattern
- bill light yellow to pink with dusky tip
- whitish wing bars
Immature White-crowned Sparrow
- similar to adult but with rusty and tan head pattern
- lacks prominent eye ring of field sparrow
- lacks central breast spot of American tree sparrow
American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea)
Size:
6-6.5 inches
A true winter invader, American tree sparrows nest in willow thickets and arctic shrub along the tundra's edge in Canada and Alaska. During the winter, tree sparrows can be found throughout Missouri though they are less common in the far southern counties. Winter populations can fluctuate from year to year.
Tree sparrows often travel in small flocks that may defend a winter feeding territory. Weedy fields are their typical winter habitat but they will visit platform feeders or areas where bird seed has been spread on the ground.
- unstreaked gray breast and belly, with dark central breast spot or "stickpin"
- rusty crown and eye line
- rusty wash on flanks
- two bold white wing bars
- bi-colored bill, dark above and yellow below
- legs and feet black
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
Size: 5-5.75 inches
The swamp sparrow is an uncommon winter resident in most of Missouri, but as the name indicates may be more easily found in wet areas.
It is highly unlikely that you will see a swamp sparrow at your feeder, but if you see one around the edge of a pond don't be surprised.
- unstreaked gray breast and belly
- rusty wash on flanks
- striped chestnut crown with thin gray median stripe
- whitish throat patch
- wing dark rusty red without wing bars
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
Size:
5.5-6 inches
Dark-eyed juncos, or snowbirds as they are widely known, are sparrows. Juncos are abundant throughout Missouri during the winter. What many people are not aware of is that there are two color forms of juncos that occur here.
The most common color form in Missouri is known as the slate-colored junco. It is light to dark gray all over except for its belly and the two to three outermost feathers on each side of the tail, which are white.
In the northern counties another color form known as the Oregon junco, though far less common, can be found. Oregon juncos are similar in appearance to the slate-colored except the back is a red-brown and the sides are rusty to pink. The brown sharply contrasts with the black or dark gray of the head and chest, giving the appearance of a hood.
Juncos are most often in flocks of various sizes that are easily recognized by the sudden flash of contrasting white and dark tail feathers darting toward a bush.
Male junco (top)
- unstreaked white belly
- dark gray head
- pink bill and legs
- white outer tail feathers
- no wing bars
Female (bottom)
- similar to male but paler
Regional, But Rare, Sparrows
Harris' Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula)
Size:
7.5 inches
Western Missouri is as far east as a third relative of the white-throated and white-crowned sparrows typically ranges. Harris' sparrows nest in the stunted boreal forest of the extreme north, but winter in brushy fields and open woods of the nation's heartland.
The Harris' sparrow is one of our largest sparrows and might be confused with a male house sparrow. A Harris' sparrow's black bib, face and crown contrast sharply with its gray cheeks, white belly and pink beak. (Male house sparrows have gray caps and beaks.) In winter, the black is mixed with gray and tan, which gives it a patchy appearance. In early spring, adult birds molt into a breeding plumage which is much more handsome.
- black throat, face and crown contrasts with gray or tan cheek
- whitish belly with streaked flanks
- two white wing bars
- pink bill
Le Conte's Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii)
Size:
5-7.75 inches
The Le Conte's sparrow is one of our rarest, but most colorful winter sparrows. This secretive bird can be found in winter in brushy, moist fields and meadows, mostly in the southern portion of the state. Juveniles look like adults but have faint streaking on the breast.
- buff or pale rusty orange
- face and breast
- gray ear patch
- whitish median stripe on brown crown
- streaked flank
- lacks wing bars
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
Size:
5-6.5 inches
The savannah sparrow is a bird of open habitat with nearby dense cover. It feeds in grass or crop stubble and quickly retreats to brush when threatened. This sparrow is a common migrant but is found locally in central and southern Missouri in winter.
- streaked back
- breast streaked with light brown
- pale eyebrow often tinged with yellow between eye and bill
- light median crown stripe
- pinkish legs and bill
Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)
Size:
4.75 inches
Lincoln's sparrows are small, shy sparrows that will occasionally over-winter in west central Missouri and the Mississippi River basin. In late fall and early spring, these sparrows are more widespread and can be seen along prairie edges and at bird feeders.
- buffy breast and flanks finely streaked with brown
- faint light eye ring
- eye stripe and side of face gray
- no wing bars
- streaked brown and gray crown
Sparrow-Watching Tip
Most sparrows can be enticed out of their dense cover near the ground by a trick called "pishing." Basically, it's a sound made by mouth that sounds as if you are telling someone to "shush" or be quiet. You can also make a squeaking sound by applying your lips to the back of your hand and sucking. Large numbers of sparrows may raise up into view in unison when confronted with these strange sounds. But look quickly -- when they figure you out, they will drop back down and start acting like secretive sparrows again.
