Sunday, January 17, 2016

Spizella in Wellness Park, 1/16/16

Spizella in Wellness Park, 1/16/16. In with a mixed sparrow flock, mainly Chipping Sparrow (CHSP) and Savannah (SAVS), at least 2 ambiguous Spizella sparrows, possibly Clay-colored Sparrows (CCSP). One key mentioned in a Sibley note is that CHSP always has a black eye-line that intersects the white eye-ring on both sides of the eye. Note in photos below. Also note lack of dark lore on CCSP; also distinct facial pattern with broad malar with dark mustache as part of outline. Lack of complete white eye-ring and gray nape mitigates agaist Brewer's, the other Spizella in play at this location. Lack of any buff color works against CCSP, but research shows CCSPs with no buff color: perhaps a function of time of year/place. Here's a Sibley note:

On identifying Chipping and Clay-colored Sparrows

October 25, 2011 by David Sibley 1 Comment

I recently commented on this ID problem on MassBird, pointing out differences in details around the eyes.

Chipping sparrow has very distinct, narrow whitish arcs below and ABOVE the eye, contrasting with darker gray-brown feathers, and broken at front and BACK by the dark eyeline. Simply looking for these distinct white arcs is a good quick ID clue, not shared by any other sparrow. (But don’t go running to your Sibley Guide to look it up, I didn’t appreciate how useful it was until recently, so it’s not illustrated very well in the current edition)

On Clay-colored there are pale feathers all the way around the eye, and these blend into just slightly darker feathers, not contrasting at all above the eye (just a broad pale eyebrow stripe). And there is only a very weak dark eyeline breaking the eyering behind the eye.

This leads to the ‘open-faced’ impression on Clay-colored, since the eye is set in a broad pale area.