Species
White-throated sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
A striped, white-throated sparrow that whistles 'Old Sam Peabody' from Georgia's winter thickets.
Photo Cephas (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 15 to 19 cm long
- Weight
- About 22 to 32 g
- Habitat
- Woodland edges, thickets and yards in winter
- Diet
- Seeds, fruit and insects
- In Georgia
- A common winter visitor, October to April
- Voice
- A clear, whistled "Old Sam Peabody, Peabody"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Striped head, black-and-white or brown-and-tan; white throat; yellow spot in front of the eye; grey breast
- Told apart from
- White-crowned sparrow, which lacks the white throat and yellow spot
- Where to look
- Thickets and under feeders in winter
Behaviour
White-throated sparrows scratch in leaf litter and feed in flocks. They come in two colour forms — white-striped and tan-striped — and almost always pair with the opposite form.
Why they matter
The two forms of the white-throated sparrow differ in behaviour as well as colour, and their pairing preferences make it one of the most unusual birds studied by geneticists.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup on the ground in the northern forest
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 11 to 14 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Leaving leaves under shrubs gives them feeding places.
- Window strikes kill many in migration.
Misconceptions
- The two colour forms are males and females. Each form includes both sexes.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Wintering | Wintering | Wintering; singing | Leaving | Nesting in the north | Nesting | Chicks | Present in the north | Migrating | Arriving | Wintering | Wintering |
Where it lives
Recorded in 58 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamain winter
- Arizonain winter
- Arkansasin winter
- Californiain winter
- Coloradoin winter
- Connecticutin winter
- Delawarein winter
- District of Columbiain winter
- Georgiain winter
- Illinoisin winter
- Indianain winter
- Iowain winter
- Kansasin winter
- Kentuckyin winter
- Louisianain winter
- Maine
- Marylandin winter
- Massachusettsin winter
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippiin winter
- Missouriin winter
- Montanain winter
- Nebraskain winter
- Nevadain winter
- New Hampshire
- New Jerseyin winter
- New Mexicoin winter
- New Yorkin winter
- North Carolinain winter
- North Dakotain winter
- Ohioin winter
- Oklahomain winter
- Oregonin winter
- Pennsylvaniain winter
- Rhode Islandin winter
- South Carolinain winter
- South Dakotain winter
- Tennesseein winter
- Texasin winter
- Vermont
- Virginiain winter
- Washingtonin winter
- West Virginiain winter
- Wisconsin
If you found one
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