Is this a sparrow or some sort of Warbler?

[Wheeler McDougal Jr.]

I captured this bird at the Viera Wetland this afternoon and I really have on idea what specie it is, any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

[Daniel Cadieux]

The streaked back and sides, and especially combined with the yellowish lores make this most likely a Savannah Sparrow. The plumage looks quite rough and used (especially the tail)...he will most likely molt into a fresh coat on his way back up for the breeding season :-)

[John Chardine]

Agree with Daniel. Now as to why- the give-away here is the bill, which is much too conical for a warbler. NA sparrows eat seeds and insects so they have a bill that is good for both jobs. Overall Mac, the look of this bird "says" sparrow with the brownish, streaked plumage, relatively plump body, and as mentioned, a conical bill.

Problem of course is that "sparrow" means different things to different people. In North America, sparrows are in the family Emberizidae but in Europe, similar, related species are called buntings. Old world sparrows are in the family Passeridae and include the familiar House or English Sparrow. In England, the Hedge Sparrow is in fact an Accentor.

In a nutshell, sparrow = LBJ = Little Brown Job