How to Identify aWhite-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis · 6.3–7.1 in (16–18 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Bold black-and-white (or tan-and-brown) crown stripes, a clean white bib, and a yellow lore spot.
Female
Similar; the species comes in white-striped and tan-striped forms regardless of sex.
Male photo: Cephas / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Second photo: Paul Danese / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Field marks
- Sharp white throat patch
- Yellow spot between the eye and bill
- Striped crown (black-and-white or tan-and-brown)
- Gray face and breast
Similar species
What it sounds like
A clear, wavering whistle usually written "Oh sweet Canada Canada Canada".
Behaviour that gives it away
Comes in white-striped and tan-striped forms, and birds almost always pair with the opposite form.
Habitat & range
Woodland edges, thickets, and feeders across the eastern and central U.S. in winter; northern woods in summer.
When you'll see it
Depending on where in eastern, central and northern North America you are, it is a winter visitor and a passage migrant, seen mainly in spring and autumn.
What it eats
Seeds and berries scratched from leaf litter, plus insects in summer.
Did you know?
Its whistled song is often written as "Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada" or "Old-Sam-Peabody."
Spot one yourself?
Point your camera at any bird and Aviarist identifies it in seconds — then logs it to your life list.
Get Aviarist on Google Play
More backyard birds
Other apps we make
