Song Sparrow

Here's a sparrow that I didn't see much of this winter but is in New Jersey all year round: the Song Sparrow. (This picture was from last autumn.)

Though this little fella was probably between songs, it's not unusual to hear them out there singing.

Similar to yesterday's Dark-eyed Junco, these are very numerous and very widespread sparrows. They don't go quite as far into Canada/Alaska as the juncos, but they can be found in all lower 48 states and approximately the southern half of Canada. They're also known for their regional variations, though I wouldn't consider the variations to be as evident as with the Dark-eyed Juncos.

Similar to the Dark-eyed Junco, the Song Sparrow is a pretty small bird. Both of them are under an ounce in weight; you need to describe them in grams if you want to avoid fractions. (The Song Sparrow is listed in my field guide as 20 grams, just slightly bigger than the Dark-eyed Junco at 19 grams. I'm sure this means that although on average the Songs are bigger, there are some Dark-eyes that are bigger than some Songs.)

October 11, 2021 at Duke Farms
Photo 168359047, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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