You can see the white throat patch for which this species is named. Note the black, brown and white head stripes. They are another useful character.

The region between the base of the bill and the eye in bird anatomy is called the lore. This bird has a yellow loral stripe. To me, they look like yellow eyebrows.

So for quick field identification, if you spot a sparrow with a white throat patch, a white line down the center of its head flanked by brown or black lines, and yellow eyebrows, you are probably looking at a White-throated Sparrow.

This little sparrow is sitting in a young elm tree while he dines on its seeds. White-throated Sparrows like seeds of a wide variety of plants as well as many kinds of insects and their larvae. They like to live in forests and forest margins throughout their range where they forage for their food on the ground and in vegetation.

White-throated Sparrows spend the winter in most areas of Texas and migrate to the forested areas of Canada for breeding season. These photgraphs were taken in mid-March when the elm trees are about the only trees with green on them. The elms produce their seeds before they make leaves which gives the White-throated Sparrow something tasty to eat in a largely dormant forest.

You can read more about these interesting little birds at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The post A Sparrow With A White Throat And Yellow Eyebrows appeared first on GJM Nature Media.

The Slate-colored Junco, Junco hyemalis, is a member of the family Emberizidae which is one of the families split from the family Fringillidae because of genetic studies. This little grey bird will hybridize with other closely related species where their ranges contact which makes identification in some cases difficult. Pictured here is the kind that appears in north central and west Texas.

Nowadays, the Slate-colored Junco is more correctly called the Dark-eyed Junco. As you can see, they are slate or lead gray on the head and upper body with a creamy white or buff belly. Their bills are pinkish white and their tails are edged in white. You can read more about the 15 subspecies of Junco hyemalis here and see photos of the 3 main varieties here.

Juncos can be found in forested areas throughout most of north America. They look for seeds and insects on the ground. Most of the Juncos I have seen have been by themselves or with one or two other birds. However, they are known to travel in large flocks.

The post Little Grey Bird With A Big Complex Family appeared first on GJM Nature Media.