Sparrows can be sensational!
A sparrow is a sparrow is a sparrow. Right? Wrong!
The sparrows you see at your backyard feeders may be American Tree
Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White-throated
Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows or Golden-crowned Sparrows.
And the House Sparrow? He’s no sparrow at all.
House Sparrows
actually belong to the weaver finch family.
Here are some facts that may help you distinguish the sparrows in
your yard.
American Tree Sparrows typically live in northern forests and
visit feeders only during migration. Many times they will scratch for
millet underneath feeders. They have a large crop (or neck pouch) in
which they can store up to 1,000 seeds.
Chipping Sparrows are shy at feeders when other birds are
present. When these birds were studied in Arizona researchers discovered
they ate seed every few seconds. During the winter-long study, a
Chipping Sparrow consumed 2 ¼ pounds of seed – 160 times its body
weight!
Fox Sparrows are the largest sparrow and tend to feed on the
ground by scratching with both feet in search of millet and insects.
They tend to be more abundant at feeders in the West than the East. Song Sparrows have a wide range, and when it’s cold they are
hungry! These birds must eat 85 to 4,000 seeds an hour to maintain energy
levels when the temperatures are freezing or below. They visit platform
feeders in search of millet and sunflower seed pieces. And they like to have
a nearby brush pile (to escape to if necessary.) |
Many times English House
Sparrows are attracted to nest boxes because of the placement of the box. If
boxes are placed near shrubbery or in areas near human dwellings, they are
more likely to attract the sparrows.
