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White-throated Sparrow

(Zonotrichia albicollis)
Banded November 22, 1997 - Carmel, Indiana

General Information

The attractive White-throated Sparrow is often called the "Poor Sam Peabody bird" because of its song of distinctive clear, loud wavering whistles seem to say "Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody." It is a common and welcome visitor to backyards, preferring to eat on the ground where seeds are offered.

This sparrow is common in the winter over much or eastern, southern and extreme western USA, but seems to disappear in summer months when it makes its way to its breeding grounds across most of Canada. Two color morphs occur. The individual shown here is considered a white morph because of the bright white eyebrows. The tan morph has tan eyebrow stripes.

Figure 1 - White-throated Sparrow

Figure 2 - White-throated Sparrow

Adult birds have a distinctive white throat and yellow lores. Adult females are similar to the males, but may have duller yellow in the lores and a duller throat. Immature birds are similar to the adult female.

As seen here, the upper mandible is horn colored. The lower mandible is pale.

Figure 3 - White-throated Sparrow

Figure 4 - Upper Wing and Back

The rich chocolate brown back feathers are edged with beige.

Dark rusty chocolate upper wing coverts are edged with white producing two narrow white wing bars.

Figure 5 - Upper Wing Coverts

Figure 6 - Primary Flight Feathers

Primary flight feathers are also brown, with some showing emargination features along the leading edges.

The belly and underwings are grayish. Flanks are slightly brownish. The alula feather shown in the upper center of this photo is important. At slow flight speeds it, much like the leading edge flaps of an airplane, and controls air flow over the upper wing to prevent stalling.

Figure 7 - Flank and Underwing

Figure 8 - Tail Feathers

The tail is long, brownish and when closed appears slightly notched. The tail feathers shown here are quite worn and frayed.

The undertail coverts are white and unmarked.

Figure 9 - Undertail Coverts

Nesting Behavior

The female White-throated Sparrow builds a cup nest of coarse grasses on the ground along forest edges and where scrubby growth predominates. From 4 to 6 pale blue eggs blotched with chestnut red are incubated by the female for up to two weeks. Altricial young are cared for by both parents, and leave the nest in a week to a week and a half. Interestingly enough, it is reported that a mated pair usually consists of a white morph and a tan morph, with the white morph being either the male of the female (Stokes & Stokes 1996, Rising & Beadle 1996).

Banding Recoveries

According to records at the Bird Banding laboratory in Laurel, MD, a total of 988,316 White-throated Sparrows have been banded since 1955. Of these, 8,645 have been recovered, a recovery rate of 0.875%.

Conservation Status

White-throated Sparrows have been reported as common in North America since settlement times. Recent population census data shows that population trends are declining overall, with dramatic declines registered in its eastern North American breeding range.

Literature Cited

Stokes, D., and L. Stokes. 1996. Stokes Field Guide to Birds. Little, Brown & Co., Boston. 519 Pp.

Rising, J. D., and D. D. Beadle. 1996. The Sparrows of the United States and Canada. Academic Press, San Diego. 365 Pp.

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