The White-throated Sparrow is one of the most well-studied birds in the North American continent. These birds are also one of the most familiar songbirds in their range. For many people, the song of these birds is something that is synonymous with the northern wilderness. Except during breeding season, you can find these birds at feeding stations.
About White-throated Sparrows
Their primary breeding habitat is in mixed and boreal coniferous forests. These short-distant migrants generally winter in the southeastern portion of U.S. Although these birds have quite an extensive range, they do not have any subspecies. These birds display polymorphism that is related to a difference in an autosome. These differences are
maintained by disassortative mating. This means that each Morph mates with the opposite one.
With differences in plumage, come differences in behavior, especially breeding behavior. White-striped Morphs males generally sing more, are more territorial, and they are also more likely to indulge in extra-pair copulation than Tan-striped Morphs. White-striped Morphs also don’t provide as much parental care as the tan-striped ones. As a result of these different characteristics and this extensive range, White-throated Sparrows have become the subject of extensive study and research.
This species also has a history that is quite like the history of other North American Sparrows. As these birds are extremely abundant and accessible, they can easily be studied. Another advantage of studying these birds is also that they easily survive in captivity. Wouldn’t you like to know more about these marvellous birds? Let’s learn more.
● White-throated Sparrows Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● White-throated Sparrows Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● White-throated Sparrows Range and Migration, Nesting
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White-throated Sparrows Color Pattern
White-throated Sparrows have a median crown stripe that is gray, pale tan of white. They have an eyebrow stripe that is mostly yellow, and sometimes orange in color in the front of the eye. The stripe at the back of the eye can be vary between dark brown-black in color. They also have a white or dull white throat patch that has black edges. Two malaria lines are visible from the bottom of the patch to the lower mandible. The lower throat and breast of White-throated Sparrow is mostly gray and has brown streaks.
Their flanks have brown streaks, and their belly is white. White-throated Sparrows have chestnut backs that have black-streaks. Their brown wing feathers have two narrow wing-bars that are white.
During summer and spring, these birds are dimorphic. The two kinds of Morphs are white-striped and tan-striped. The White-striped Morphs are distinguished by their black-and-white crown stripes and gray breasts. The tan-striped morphs have brown, black, or tan-coloured crown stripes that are clearly less contrasting.
Description and Identification
Adult White-throated Sparrows are easy to identify. Tan-striped Morphs and younglings can often be confused with immature Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrows. Although there are certain similarities between these species, the blackish brown crown stripes and white throat are not present in both those species. Therefore, on closer observation even Tan-striped Morphs can easily be distinguished from similar bird species based just on physical appearance.
Male White-throated Sparrows engage in bouts of singly from a few chosen song posts. These posts are usually coniferous trees that are taller than the vegetation around it. Apart from the highly studied song of these birds they use several other vocalisations for a variety of reasons.
The young make a begging call. This call changes with age. At first, it is short and squeaky. 3-4 days after hatching, it becomes louder with a wider frequency. It is often heard when the younglings are disturbed. 8 days after hatching, this raspy call becomes an up slur which contains frequency modulation. In the next few days, this call develops further.
Another important call made by these birds is the location call. This Tseet call is a contact call used by paired White-throated Sparrows or members of a flock. It is generally used when members of a pair are not able to find one another. This call is also frequently used by captives when they are taken to unfamiliar surroundings. Sometimes, this call is made after copulation.
An abrupt sharp chip is the alarm call that White-throated Sparrows make. This call is generally quite loud. The bird that makes this call is easily visible and alert. They might be assuming a specific posture while making the call. This call is made when a predator is approaching, it is contagiously uttered by other White-throated Sparrows in the vicinity. They use several other calls.
White-throated Sparrow Song
White-throated Sparrows have a song that is amongst the most studied song of all birds. This song includes pure whistled notes that generally includes a minimum of 1 pitch change after the 1st or 2nd note. This species has 9 note types and 15 song patterns. The most common pattern starts with a long and steady note, which is followed by a combination of other notes that steadily increase in pitch. The second note is usually a three-part triplet. And finally, the third note is a stead note that has a slur at the beginning and them some similar triplets.
The second most common song descends in relation to the pitch. It begins with 2 steady notes that are similar in tone. The third note is a considerably lower-pitch note that is followed a combination of triplets that have a pitch that is like the third note.
Old Sam Peabody or Oh Sweet Canada are common phrases these songs sound like. The pattern begins with two steady notes and is followed by triplets. This pattern was present before, and now it has almost disappeared completely. However, you can still find a few birds that use this pattern.
Individual White-throated Sparrows generally sing one stereotyped pattern. Very few birds of this species have 2 patterns, in which one of them is more common than the other. In the variable patterns, the timing of the songs is more variable than the pitch. Factors such as amplitude, rate of delivery and length also vary significantly. If 2 birds sing the same pattern, their pitch might vary. Some of these song patterns are widespread, and others only occur locally in specific regions.
It is common for both male members of both Morphs and females of White-striped Morphs to sing. Female Tan-striped Morphs don’t sing very frequently. Males of both Morphs share singing patterns. Tan-striped males have lower pitches as they occupy denser forests. White-striped females sing the same patterns sung by the males, but their songs are
shorter, and the notes do not have a very steady pitch.
This song is taught to young White-throated Sparrows by older birds of this species. This song generally develops from their subsong which is common in the young ones. It is not known which adults act as tutors to younger birds. Neighbors have different songs, so it is difficult to know where the younglings learn the song from. Territorial adults maintain the same song throughout their
lives.
White-throated Sparrow Size
White-throated Sparrows are small passerine that are 5.9-7.5 inches long, and they have an average wingspan of 9.1 inches. Their weight ranges between 0.78-1.13 ounces.
White-throated Sparrow Behavior
White-throated Sparrows are ground foragers which prefer hopping to walking or running. They forage around in the leaf litter to look for food. These birds can use both their feet together to scratch backwards. They often immediately pounce on any food item they have sighted. Other than using their feet for moving around the leaves, they can also use their heads to flick the leaves away.
Aggressive and territorial males chase each other away from their territories. As discussed before, White-striped Morphs are generally more aggressive than the Tan-striped Morphs. As the breeding season comes to an end, the aggressiveness of these birds begins to reduce. By autumn, White-throated Sparrows are moving around in large flocks. These flocks forage together. Hierarchies are quite common within these flocks.
Males dominate the females, but the Morph is inconsequential to the hierarchy. When these birds attempt to pair, the tan-striped individuals choose white-striped individuals, and vice versa. These birds are seasonally monogamous, but sometimes white-striped individuals might indulge in extra pair copulations.
White-throated Sparrows sharpens and clean their bills by wiping them on hard surfaces. Preening is a behavior they commonly indulge in. Scratching is also a common behavior which includes lifting the leg over the wing to scratch the head. Bathing can occur in dust, sand, or water. These birds also use a number of postures to stretch which can include balancing on one leg.
White-throated Sparrow Diet
Foods that are common in the diet of White-throated Sparrows are the seeds of weeds and grasses. These may include buckwheat and ragweeds. Fruits of dogwood, blackberry, blueberry, mountain ash rose, cranberry, grape, and sumac are common favorites.
These birds consume insects in large numbers during breeding season. These insects are generally ones they pick off the forest floor, or they are hunted by flying out from perches in low vegetation. The insects consumed by them are caterpillars, beetles, stinkbugs, wasps, flies, and dragonflies. Other animal matter consumed by them includes snail, centipedes, millipedes, and spiders.
Young ones are only fed animal matter by their parents. They also visit bird feeders during winter for obtaining black oil sunflower seeds and millets.
White-throated Sparrow Habitat
White-throated Sparrows are birds that occupy forests in northern Midwest, northeastern United States, and in Canada. These widespread birds live in deciduous or coniferous forests around dense vegetation. They are mostly common in areas that are regrowing after damage through fires, logging or insects. Often their habitat is around meadows, bogs, or ponds. During winter and migration, these birds inhabit thickets, weedy fields, backyards, suburbs, hedgerows, city parks, and woodlots.
Range and Migration
The breeding range of White-throated Sparrows can extend eastward from northwestern Canada to Minnesota and the Great Lakes, and then southwards toward New England. Most White-throated Sparrow overwinter in the eastern U.S.
White-throated Sparrow Lifecycle
Female White-throated Sparrows can arrive on the breeding grounds from one day to two weeks after the arrival of the males. This depends on the breeding region. Most White-throated Sparrows only raise one brood per season but use up to 3 brooding attempts in southern populations. Other populations never attempt raising more than one brood, unless the first attempt fails.
Females lay between 1-6 eggs and incubate them for 11-14 days. These eggs are 0.8-0.9 inches long, and they are 0.6-0.7 inches wide.
Nesting
Females are the ones that select the placement of the nests. These nests are usually on the ground, or just above it. The nesting site is often in clearings that have an abundance of dense vegetation to offer protection to the nest.
They build their nests under ferns, grasses, or shrubs. In some instances, they also construct them under dead vegetation. If White-throated Sparrows have lost one of their nests to a predator, they are more likely to place their nests off the ground. Nests are above the ground in brush piles, ferns, shrubs, or in the roots of an upturned tree. Most of the nest-construction process occurs in the morning. Twigs, grass, wood chips, and pine needles are materials usually used to build the nest.
Anatomy of a White-throated Sparrow
White-throated Sparrows are small songbirds with a short and conical bill. Their tail is longish and notched. On average, the measurements of the wings, tails, and tarsi of males are very slightly larger than the same measurements of females.
Final Thoughts
White-throated Sparrows are common and beautiful birds. The presence of their morphs because of differences in autosome, and their wide vocal array make these birds extremely interesting.
Ornithology
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Bird Watching Binoculars for IdentifyingWhite-throated Sparrows
The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing White-throated Sparrows are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.
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White-throated Sparrow Stickers
Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the White-throated Sparrow. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.
Bird Feeders For White-throated Sparrows
There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.
Bird HousesFor White-throated Sparrows
There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.
