White-throated Sparrows

Sparrows

The White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, is a passerine bird of the American sparrow family Emberizidae.

Description

The rufous wings and white throat make this an easy species to identify. Some birds have a tan supercilium and browner head than the more common white-striped form.

Diet / Feeding

These birds forage on the ground under or near thickets or in low vegetation. They mainly eat seeds, insects and berries.

Distribution / Range

It is a 17 cm long North American species, breeding in central Canada and New England.

In winter, it migrates to the southern USA. This bird is a rare vagrant to western Europe.

Nesting / Breeding

It nests either on the ground under shrubs or low in trees in deciduous or mixed forest areas and lays 3-5 brown-marked blue or green-white eggs.

Song and calls

The White-throated Sparrow's song is a high monotone whistle with the cadence of oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada. (Also where are you Frederick, Frederick, Frederick.). The rhythm is very regular, and the timbre could be described as pinched.

There are at least two distinct songs sung by this species. One consists of an initial note, followed by three or so repeated notes at an interval of about a major third above. The second song consists of an initial note, a second a whole step lower, and a third note, repeated 2-3 times, about a minor third below that. These musical intervals are only approximate; to a human ear the song often sounds out of tune. The repeated note will often change in pitch very slightly, contributing to this effect.

The White-throated Sparrow also has at least two other calls, in addition to its song.

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Zonotrichia albicollis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Byers, Olsson and Curson, Buntings and Sparrows ISBN1-873403-19-4

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