See all posts in the Birds of Carver County series
The cheery White-throated Sparrow is a migrant that arrives in Carver County in April and May and departs to the south in September and October, but sometimes into November.
The very audible and distinctive 5-, 8- or 11-note song announces its presence during those few weeks before they have gone north to nest in the conifer forests of Minnesota’s north-eastern counties and in Canada. Check out one of the web links to hear it, so you will more easily recognize it. Link
The White-throated Sparrow in Spanish is Chingolo Gorijblanco. In French, it is Bruant à Gorge Blanche. Its scientific name is Zonotrichia albicollis. This descriptive Latin name means having striped head feathers with a white neck.
Adults have a conspicuous white throat that can be outlined in black. Its face has a yellow spot between the eye and the bill and a white or tan eye-stripe. The stripe’s color will depend on the individual’s genetics. There are also differences in behavior and mate selection associated with this gene. Look for this appearance difference in the spring.
Picking out the “tan-striped” morph in the fall is more difficult because juveniles will have brownish faces. Young birds will also have dark streaks on their gray chests. Both sexes look the same, with brown and black wings, backs and tails. Wings will also have two thin, white wing bars.
They are 6 to 7 inches long with a dark gray bill that is used to eat seeds and bugs that are found by hopping and scratching through leaf litter.
Seen on the ground and in low bushes, brush piles and spilled seed feeders will attract them to Carver County yards. On their way south after the breeding season, White-throated Sparrows may travel and feed on seedy grasses together with other sparrow species. They will also take advantage of ripe berries along their way.
The White-throated Sparrow has a bright appearance and an equally bright song. Both attributes make this a favorite spring and fall visitor to feeders, bushes and grasses nearby. Mixed flocks of sparrows may present a little identification dismay, but its bright white throat should give you that pleasant connection with the natural world around us.
For more information:
- The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley
- Reader’s Digest Book of North American Birds
- Birds of Minnesota, Robert B. Janssen
- The Audubon Society’s Encyclopedia of North American Birds, John K. Terres
- Online: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Online: Minnesota Seasons – Exploring Nature in Minnesota
- Online: Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas
