The White-throated Sparrow is a winter visitor to Fort Bend that breeds in the Northern US and Canada. It has a lovely yellow lobe between its bill and just over the eye, a white throat, gray breast and brown and black wings. They have crisp facial markings.
During migration and winter, you’ll find White-throated Sparrows along edges of woodlots, hedgerows, thickets, weedy fields, suburbs, backyards, and city parks. They also nest close to the ground and like grass seeds, goldenrod seeds, and insects and beetles. They come to birdfeeders and like millet and black sunflower seeds. They like to forage in leaves so brush piles encourage them.
Males and females can have tan or white strips between black stripes on their heads. This white stripe contrasts with the tan stripe in the photo above it. However, both persist because males tend to like white stripped females where females tend to like tan stripped males, but can be either and usually pick the opposite of themselves. They pair for summer, but often select a new mate then next year. Winter flocks have hierachies, but coloration seems to have no bearing on the pecking order. They have also been known to breed with Dark-eyed Juncos that produces a duller, less crisply marked hybrid.
They hop long the ground and have a beautiful singing voice that you can hear on the Cornell All About Birds site.
We've been getting questions about squirrel-proof feeders. For more on this subject and a hilarious video on the National Wildlife Federation website, click here.
Photos copyrighted by Quail Valley resident and international birder Margaret Sloan. View her international and national bird pictures by pressing this link. View her full photo album of local birds, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.
Learn how to attract birds to your garden, enjoy the Quail Valley Garden's Club visit and tour of Margaret's backyard.
Blog edited by Janice Scanlan.
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