A male Lark Sparrow pokes about in the short desert grasses of Western Colorado. A unique sparrow and thankfully one that is easy to identify correctly. If you have any good tips or a process you follow to identify sparrows they would sure be welcome.
I love Lark Sparrows! A beautiful bird with a beautiful song. Sparrows are almost as difficult to identify as flycatchers. The best way to identify them is 1) get a really good pic of their face, 2) make note of the tiny differences in feather markings and coloring and 3) probably your best way to identify them is to hear their sounds. Good luck in the future with your IDs! 🙂
HI and I agree getting a good photo really helps as my memory for the specifics can become somewhat altered once I leave the field.
If in doubt about the species, they are a LBB, little brown bird, or LBJ, little brown jobbie. The app iBird Pro is helpful because it has a tab for similar birds and recordings of all of the bird’s songs and calls.
Hi, I use bird and have it on my phone for that quick ID. As you mention using the call is very helpful as well as the similar birds.
Identifying Sparrows is a challenge because they look alike except for a few different things that set them apart. Lark Sparrows are easier to identify due to the dark brown mask over their face.
I like using several websites to help ID sparrows:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birding/backyard-bird-identifier/
http://birdsnap.com/species/ (upload a good picture and it will tell you what it is)
http://www.audubon.org/bird-guide
I also like ebird for seeing recent species in an area
Hi and thanks for all the links. I use all about birds and Audubon but the birdsnap link is noes to me. Thanks a ton and I hoe your week is treating you well thus far.
As regards sparrow differentiation, no idea…but have you tried asking them what kind they are? 😂
Hi Graham, I tried asking once but it appears I need to brush up on Sparrow. Hope your well and you are having a great week.