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Topic Categories: Birding • Education • Mystery Birds • Photography • Teaching • Travel
Posted on: October 23, 2009 9:59 AM, by "GrrlScientist"
tags: Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina, photographed at Illinois Beach State Park, Lake County, Illinois. [I will identify these birds for you in 48 hours]
Image: Janice Sweet, 20 October 2009 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Life Science
Education
Comments
I'm going to go with Clay-colored Sparrow for this one. This bird has a brighter white eye-ring than I'd like, and I'm not really seeing the "usually obvious white in median crown-stripe" (Sibley), but the wingbars, the "buffy breastband", and the "strong, dark 'mustache'" all seem about right.
Posted by: John Callender | October 23, 2009 11:49 AM
Grumpy Sparrow. Field marks are characteristic squinty eyes and facial expression.
Posted by: Scott Lewis | October 23, 2009 6:53 PM
heh, heh, cute scott!
i have to report that both of you are wrong!
john: take a close and very critical look at the throat and facial pattern -- contrast and color. the overall plumage color might also be a tiny hint, but maybe not since this is a photograph so color can depend on so many factors.
Posted by: "GrrlScientist" | October 23, 2009 7:50 PM
I'm wondering if this might not be an imm. White-crowned Sparrow ?? The throat and facial pattern look good for one to me. That plus the plain dusty breast cinch it ... if not I'll go with Grumpy too.
Posted by: Peggy Siegert | October 23, 2009 10:53 PM
Chipping sparrow?
Posted by: John Callender | October 24, 2009 12:59 AM
Definitely Emberizidae, and I want to say Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) in either in non-breeding plumage (without the persimmon cap) or a juvenile... in the non-breeding adult the eyebrow should be "dusky" and the transocular line "black" but in the juvenile the eyebrow is variable and the line described as "dark" and not "black", so more likely this is a juvenile, but there is still something not quite right with that... I think we have the genus Spizella...
Posted by: David | October 24, 2009 8:34 AM
I'm kind of leaning toward Chipping Sparrow, too.
And not grumpy, but rather insouciant.
Posted by: pk1154 | October 24, 2009 9:55 AM
OK, let's try this again..
We should be able to discount the genus Ammodramus (e.g. Grasshopper, LeConte's, Sharp-tailed) because they are usually small with short pointed tails...
the same goes for the genus Melospiza (e.g. Song, Swamp) because they typically have strong jaw stripes and faintly to heavily streaked underparts...
which leaves us with the genus Zonotrichia (e.g. White-throated and White-crowned)- large, long-tailed, with plain underparts and boldly-patterned heads, or
the genus Spizella (e.g. Chipping, Field, Tree)- small, long-tailed, with plain underparts and brown to reddish, streaked upperparts, or
the genus Aimophila (e.g. Cassin's, Rufous-crowned)- as Spizella above, but with flat heads...
can't really determine relative size (Zonotrichia vs Spizella/Aimophila) but it appears small rather than large, so we're back to figuring out if Scott and Peggy's "grumpiness" factor is causing the crown to be flattened (Aimophila) or if it's simply an Indiana October...
so I'm back to Spizella, either juvenile or non-breeding adult but, until the two guides below, was troubled with the streaked crown but now kinda sorta sure this is a non-breeding Chipping ("streaked rufous cap, gray face and nape, brown back with black streaks" the suggestion of a "whitish throat" and "buff eyebrow", black transocular stripe) :
Juvenile Clay vs Chipping ID
Non-breeding Chipping
Posted by: David | October 24, 2009 10:00 AM
Great photo, I am tossed betweeen the non breeding Chipping but I favor the Clay colored. Was This photo taken near the beach?
Posted by: Eileen | October 25, 2009 9:06 AM
Allright, just in case anyone's still looking, I guess I can comment now. The bird is a Chipping because: the lores (between the eye and the bill) are dark, and the darker ear patch doesn't have a dark edge separating it from the malar area. Also, the small part of the rump that's visible is gray -- although I'm not completely convinced that this is the rump and not the tail.
Having said this, Clay-colored was my first guess too. Other shots clearly showed the dark eyeline continuing to the bill.
And it was actually taken about a quarter-mile from the beach.
Posted by: psweet | October 25, 2009 6:35 PM