Perched Song Sparrow

A tiny branch to you and me is a very functional platform for a Song Sparrow. In my area the Song Sparrow is the prototypical sparrow:

  • Learn what they look like and you'll recognize (with the possible exception of the Dark-eyed Junco [1]) the most abundant species of one of our most abundant bird families: New World Sparrows.
  • Use the differences between Song Sparrows and other sparrows as a way to learn to ID the other sparrows. (I'm still not great at this myself.)

Though Song Sparrows know more than 1 song (up to 20 actually), they don't switch between their songs very often. You'll frequently hear 1 singing basically the same song over and over, but hours later might be singing a different tune. Like jazz musicians though, they'll frequently add some improvisation to their basic songs.

May 9, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 282306455, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

May 9, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 282306468, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] Unlike Song Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos are seasonal here in New Jersey. While we have lots of them during colder months, good luck finding 1 in July.

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