Another Sparrow ID

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I am not up on my birds in general, I know this is a sparrow, but they all look the same to me in my book.
Thanks.

[John Chardine]

This looks like a good ol' House Sparrow, likely female although could be juvenile. There is an overall look or jizz about the bird that tells you it is this species, mainly around the head. The conical, yellowish bill and faint line through the eye are good marks. House Sparrows are members of an old-world family called Passeridae and not in the same family as the North American sparrows, which are in the same family as the old-world buntings. It's all very confusing and comes down to the fact that English names are not used consistently within or between continents.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Thanks for taking the time to reply!

[Dave Brown]

Jackie,

Some things to consider when identifying Sparrows.

1) breast plain or streaked
2) if streaked breast,is there a central spot
3) face pattern( noticeable colors on the sides of the face, or in the area between the bill and the eye
4) head patterns- median stripes( stripes down the center of the head) or not. Dark eyelines or not
5) practice, practice practice....

I would suggest doing a few of the id quizzes online for practice, I found quiz birds extremely useful when I was first learning birds about a decade ago now. I still find them to be one of the best ways to familiarize myself with new species. I will probably try to post some quiz birds over the next couple weeks, mainly gulls,since that is my passion, but if others have quiz shots, I think it would be great for the group..what do you think John??

Dave Brown

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Good Idea, and thanks for the tips.