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A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL
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A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL
by geneise
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Hi all,
Yesterday, I saw a sparrow that was noticeably gray/monotone compared to the Chipping Sparrows it was with. As I tried to get in position to get a photo of this bird, cemetery workers in a tractor came along and flushed the 100+ birds that were feeding in the grass. I spent nearly 2 hours trying to relocate this bird without success. I was able to find this relocate this bird today, and managed to get a few photos. Overall, it stood out because of how dull gray-brown and rather finely streaked (compared to the Chippies) it was. This bird has a rather plain face, crisp streaking on the breast, with the streaks made up of individual, triangular-shaped markings. From back to crown the color was more or less constant, with the nape appearing grayer, and also finely streaked. The supercilium was the same base color as the rest of the face (making the bird stand out among the juvenile Chipping Sparrows with comparatively bright buffy supercilium). At all times the bird appeared to have a whitish eye-ring, but this was more apparent when the bird closed its eyes. The secondaries appeared to be browner than the rest of the back/wings, but none of the markings on this bird had the rufous tones that Chipping Sparrows tend to show. I did not get a good look at the rump. The overall tone of the bird, and face pattern suggest juvenile Brewer's Sparrow, but the amount of solid information on the juvenile plumage of this species, especially the northern race, taverneri, is maddeningly sparse. Here are the photos: http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=28347.0 ...any guidance, comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Cheers, -greg neise Berwyn, IL PS: thanks to all who sent a note concerning the Glaucous-winged Gull a week or so ago. I've submitted documentation to the IORC, and I can't see any reason why the record won't be accepted (#7 for IL). Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html |
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Re: A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL
by greatgrayowl
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Greg et al.:
The bird depicted is a juvenile Chipping Sparrow (CHSP), as supported by a number of features, not the least of which is that it's still holding so much juvenal plumage at this late date. This is typical of western CHSPs, but not eastern ones (see Pyle (1997)) and is atypical of both Clay-colored (CCSP) and Brewer's (BRSP). Additionally, as can be seen in the second photo from the top, the bird shows a distinct and blackish eyeline that extends well in front of the eye, a feature not present on BRSP or CCSP. This feature is not at all apparent in the other pix, possibly due to the angle and, in some, because of the posture of the face. Additionally, Brewer's doesn't show the darkening of the forward part of the lower edge of the crown that is typical of both CHSP and CCSP and this feature is shown well (though it's a fairly subtle mark) in the pix provided, even showing in the pix in which the eyeline is less to much less evident. In fact, the provided pix of juvenile BRSPs show very typical individuals, lacking the darkening on the forecrown and also showing the very plain, fairly unmarked face of the species -- not the pale superciliary, dark eyeline, bright eye arcs, and contrasting auriculars typical of Chipping; all of these characters are present, to greater or lesser extent, on the subject bird.
Finally, I also have qualms with using the term "juvenile" in regards to birds that have completed (or, at least, nearly so) a post-juvenal molt, such as the immature (Eastern?) Chipping Sparrow depicted on the same page.
Thanks, Greg, for bringing up this subject on this venue. Spizella ID (at least, that of the tricky trio of CHSP, CCSP, BRSP) is nowhere near as easy or cut-and-dried as some seem to think it. There is a fairly substantial number of individuals that can easily cause problems and/or misidentification among unwary birders and I've seen some Spizellas that I'm more than happy to leave as identity uncertain, particularly of photographed birds.
Sincerely,
Tony Leukering
Villas, NJ
-----Original Message----- From: Greg Neise <gregneise@...> To: BIRDWG01@... Sent: Thu, Oct 29, 2009 9:13 pm Subject: [BIRDWG01] A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL Hi all, Yesterday, I saw a sparrow that was noticeably gray/monotone compared to the Chipping Sparrows it was with. As I tried to get in position to get a photo of this bird, cemetery workers in a tractor came along and flushed the 100+ birds that were feeding in the grass. I spent nearly 2 hours trying to relocate this bird without success. I was able to find this relocate this bird today, and managed to get a few photos. Overall, it stood out because of how dull gray-brown and rather finely streaked (compared to the Chippies) it was. This bird has a rather plain face, crisp streaking on the breast, with the streaks made up of individual, triangular-shaped markings. From back to crown the color was more or less constant, with the nape appearing grayer, and also finely streaked. The supercilium was the same base color as the rest of the face (making the bird stand out among the juvenile Chipping Sparrows with comparatively bright buffy supercilium). At all times the bird appeared to have a whitish eye-ring, but this was more apparent when the bird closed its eyes. The secondaries appeared to be browner than the rest of the back/wings, but none of the markings on this bird had the rufous tones that Chipping Sparrows tend to show. I did not get a good look at the rump. The overall tone of the bird, and face pattern suggest juvenile Brewer's Sparrow, but the amount of solid information on the juvenile plumage of this species, especially the northern race, taverneri, is maddeningly sparse. Here are the photos: http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=28347.0 ...any guidance, comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Cheers, -greg neise Berwyn, IL PS: thanks to all who sent a note concerning the Glaucous-winged Gull a week or so ago. I've submitted documentation to the IORC, and I can't see any reason why the record won't be accepted (#7 for IL). Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html
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A Juvenile Spizella Sparrow in New Jersey
by bill elrick-2
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Hi, I would like to ask about this bird pictured here
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcbrian/2907922990/in/set-72157607703404842/ << When I was asked, I thought this bird was just a hy Chipping sparrow but several people have disagreed. The bird does have a very light colored bill. Thanks to all who make a comment. Bill Elrick NJ Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html |
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Re: A Juvenile Spizella Sparrow in New Jersey
by greatgrayowl
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Hey Bill:
As you said, it's a Chippy.
Tony Leukering
Villas, NJ
-----Original Message----- From: Bill Elrick <belrick@...> To: BIRDWG01@... Sent: Fri, Oct 30, 2009 8:09 am Subject: [BIRDWG01] A Juvenile Spizella Sparrow in New Jersey Hi, I would like to ask about this bird pictured here
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcbrian/2907922990/in/set-72157607703404842/ << When I was asked, I thought this bird was just a hy Chipping sparrow but several people have disagreed. The bird does have a very light colored bill. Thanks to all who make a comment. Bill Elrick NJ Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html
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Re: A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL
by Steven Mlodinow
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Greetings All
One thing to remember is that molt is plastic, like many things in biology, and birds that are ill will suspend molt, trying to conserve energy.
So, if this bird is ill, its late molt is not necessarily a sign that it is of a western race.
Steve Mlodinow
-----Original Message----- From: Greg Neise <gregneise@...> To: BIRDWG01@... Sent: Fri, Oct 30, 2009 9:06 am Subject: Re: [BIRDWG01] A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL Many thanks to Tony, and everyone who sent such detailed and thoughtful responses. The details of how BRSP would differ from CHSP in this plumage is not something that is readily available from the field guides. Both Sibley (The Sibley Guide to the Birds, page 484) and Beadle (The Sparrows of the United States and Canada, Plate 8) show juvenile BRSP with darkish lores and eyeline approaching CHSP. Sibley points out that BRSP is "less contrasting overall, patterned weakly in grayish brown". Which, compared to the CHSP it was with, was a fairly accurate description of the bird I photographed. Another thing that made this bird stand out was it's behavior. When the flock flushed or moved, it was always the last to do so. When I had it perched in a tree, it went to sleep. It seemed exhausted or sick. In the thread on this bird, Bob Hughes suggests, "The retained juvenile breast streaking strongly suggests that this Chipping Sparrow belongs to the western subspecies, Spizella passerina arizonae. The first prebasic molt of this subspecies is usually suspended until after migration, hence the retained breast streaking. In the nominate subspecies of Chipping Sparrow, as well as Brewer's and Clay-colored Sparrows, the first prebasic molt occurs on or near the breeding grounds, so we probably wouldn't see the streaky juvenile plumage of these birds this late in the season." Also interesting is that we've had more Harris' Sparrows in the Chicago area this fall than I can ever remember. There have been at least 10 different birds in the last 10 days. So perhaps this bird did come from parts west. Thanks again for the help. I always come away from asking a question of this group learning more than I anticipated...which is awesome. -greg neise Berwyn, IL On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:37:20 -0400, greatgrayowl@... wrote: > >Greg et al.: > >The bird depicted is a juvenile Chipping Sparrow (CHSP), as supported by a number of features, not the least of which is that it's still holding so much juvenal plumage at this late date. This is typical of western CHSPs, but not eastern ones (see Pyle (1997)) and is atypical of both Clay-colored (CCSP) and Brewer's (BRSP). Additionally, as can be seen in the second photo from the top, the bird shows a distinct and blackish eyeline that extends well in front of the eye, a feature not present on BRSP or CCSP. This feature is not at all apparent in the other pix, possibly due to the angle and, in some, because of the posture of the face. Additionally, Brewer's doesn't show the darkening of the forward part of the lower edge of the crown that is typical of both CHSP and CCSP and this feature is shown well (though it's a fairly subtle mark) in the pix provided, even showing in the pix in which the eyeline is less to much less evident. In fact, the provided pix of juvenile BRSPs show very typical individuals, lacking the darkening on the forecrown and also showing the very plain, fairly unmarked face of the species -- not the pale superciliary, dark eyeline, bright eye arcs, and contrasting auriculars typical of Chipping; all of these characters are present, to greater or lesser extent, on the subject bird. > >Finally, I also have qualms with using the term "juvenile" in regards to birds that have completed (or, at least, nearly so) a post-juvenal molt, such as the immature (Eastern?) Chipping Sparrow depicted on the same page. > >Thanks, Greg, for bringing up this subject on this venue. Spizella ID (at least, that of the tricky trio of CHSP, CCSP, BRSP) is nowhere near as easy or cut-and-dried as some seem to think it. There is a fairly substantial number of individuals that can easily cause problems and/or misidentification among unwary birders and I've seen some Spizellas that I'm more than happy to leave as identity uncertain, particularly of photographed birds. > >Sincerely, > >Tony Leukering >Villas, NJ > >-----Original Message----- >From: Greg Neise <gregneise@...> >To: BIRDWG01@... >Sent: Thu, Oct 29, 2009 9:13 pm >Subject: [BIRDWG01] A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL > > > >Hi all, >Yesterday, I saw a sparrow that was noticeably gray/monotone compared to the >hipping Sparrows it was with. As I tried to get in position to get a photo >f this bird, cemetery workers in a tractor came along and flushed the 100+ >irds that were feeding in the grass. I spent nearly 2 hours trying to >elocate this bird without success. >I was able to find this relocate this bird today, and managed to get a few >hotos. Overall, it stood out because of how dull gray-brown and rather >inely streaked (compared to the Chippies) it was. This bird has a rather >lain face, crisp streaking on the breast, with the streaks made up of >ndividual, triangular-shaped markings. From back to crown the color was >ore or less constant, with the nape appearing grayer, and also finely >treaked. The supercilium was the same base color as the rest of the face >making the bird stand out among the juvenile Chipping Sparrows with >omparatively bright buffy supercilium). At all times the bird appeared to >ave a whitish eye-ring, but this was more apparent when the bird closed its >yes. The secondaries appeared to be browner than the rest of the >ack/wings, but none of the markings on this bird had the rufous tones that >hipping Sparrows tend to show. I did not get a good look at the rump. >The overall tone of the bird, and face pattern suggest juvenile Brewer's >parrow, but the amount of solid information on the juvenile plumage of this >pecies, especially the northern race, taverneri, is maddeningly sparse. >Here are the photos: >http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=28347.0 >...any guidance, comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. >Cheers, >-greg neise >erwyn, IL >PS: thanks to all who sent a note concerning the Glaucous-winged Gull a week >r so ago. I've submitted documentation to the IORC, and I can't see any >eason why the record won't be accepted (#7 for IL). > >oin or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 >Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html > > > >Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 > >Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html > > Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html
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Re: A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL
by Steven Mlodinow
::
Rate this Message:
Greetings All
One thing to remember is that molt is plastic, like many things in biology, and birds that are ill will suspend molt, trying to conserve energy.
So, if this bird is ill, its late molt is not necessarily a sign that it is of a western race.
Steve Mlodinow
-----Original Message----- From: Greg Neise <gregneise@...> To: BIRDWG01@... Sent: Fri, Oct 30, 2009 9:06 am Subject: Re: [BIRDWG01] A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL Many thanks to Tony, and everyone who sent such detailed and thoughtful responses. The details of how BRSP would differ from CHSP in this plumage is not something that is readily available from the field guides. Both Sibley (The Sibley Guide to the Birds, page 484) and Beadle (The Sparrows of the United States and Canada, Plate 8) show juvenile BRSP with darkish lores and eyeline approaching CHSP. Sibley points out that BRSP is "less contrasting overall, patterned weakly in grayish brown". Which, compared to the CHSP it was with, was a fairly accurate description of the bird I photographed. Another thing that made this bird stand out was it's behavior. When the flock flushed or moved, it was always the last to do so. When I had it perched in a tree, it went to sleep. It seemed exhausted or sick. In the thread on this bird, Bob Hughes suggests, "The retained juvenile breast streaking strongly suggests that this Chipping Sparrow belongs to the western subspecies, Spizella passerina arizonae. The first prebasic molt of this subspecies is usually suspended until after migration, hence the retained breast streaking. In the nominate subspecies of Chipping Sparrow, as well as Brewer's and Clay-colored Sparrows, the first prebasic molt occurs on or near the breeding grounds, so we probably wouldn't see the streaky juvenile plumage of these birds this late in the season." Also interesting is that we've had more Harris' Sparrows in the Chicago area this fall than I can ever remember. There have been at least 10 different birds in the last 10 days. So perhaps this bird did come from parts west. Thanks again for the help. I always come away from asking a question of this group learning more than I anticipated...which is awesome. -greg neise Berwyn, IL On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:37:20 -0400, greatgrayowl@... wrote: > >Greg et al.: > >The bird depicted is a juvenile Chipping Sparrow (CHSP), as supported by a number of features, not the least of which is that it's still holding so much juvenal plumage at this late date. This is typical of western CHSPs, but not eastern ones (see Pyle (1997)) and is atypical of both Clay-colored (CCSP) and Brewer's (BRSP). Additionally, as can be seen in the second photo from the top, the bird shows a distinct and blackish eyeline that extends well in front of the eye, a feature not present on BRSP or CCSP. This feature is not at all apparent in the other pix, possibly due to the angle and, in some, because of the posture of the face. Additionally, Brewer's doesn't show the darkening of the forward part of the lower edge of the crown that is typical of both CHSP and CCSP and this feature is shown well (though it's a fairly subtle mark) in the pix provided, even showing in the pix in which the eyeline is less to much less evident. In fact, the provided pix of juvenile BRSPs show very typical individuals, lacking the darkening on the forecrown and also showing the very plain, fairly unmarked face of the species -- not the pale superciliary, dark eyeline, bright eye arcs, and contrasting auriculars typical of Chipping; all of these characters are present, to greater or lesser extent, on the subject bird. > >Finally, I also have qualms with using the term "juvenile" in regards to birds that have completed (or, at least, nearly so) a post-juvenal molt, such as the immature (Eastern?) Chipping Sparrow depicted on the same page. > >Thanks, Greg, for bringing up this subject on this venue. Spizella ID (at least, that of the tricky trio of CHSP, CCSP, BRSP) is nowhere near as easy or cut-and-dried as some seem to think it. There is a fairly substantial number of individuals that can easily cause problems and/or misidentification among unwary birders and I've seen some Spizellas that I'm more than happy to leave as identity uncertain, particularly of photographed birds. > >Sincerely, > >Tony Leukering >Villas, NJ > >-----Original Message----- >From: Greg Neise <gregneise@...> >To: BIRDWG01@... >Sent: Thu, Oct 29, 2009 9:13 pm >Subject: [BIRDWG01] A Juvenile Spizella Sparow in IL > > > >Hi all, >Yesterday, I saw a sparrow that was noticeably gray/monotone compared to the >hipping Sparrows it was with. As I tried to get in position to get a photo >f this bird, cemetery workers in a tractor came along and flushed the 100+ >irds that were feeding in the grass. I spent nearly 2 hours trying to >elocate this bird without success. >I was able to find this relocate this bird today, and managed to get a few >hotos. Overall, it stood out because of how dull gray-brown and rather >inely streaked (compared to the Chippies) it was. This bird has a rather >lain face, crisp streaking on the breast, with the streaks made up of >ndividual, triangular-shaped markings. From back to crown the color was >ore or less constant, with the nape appearing grayer, and also finely >treaked. The supercilium was the same base color as the rest of the face >making the bird stand out among the juvenile Chipping Sparrows with >omparatively bright buffy supercilium). At all times the bird appeared to >ave a whitish eye-ring, but this was more apparent when the bird closed its >yes. The secondaries appeared to be browner than the rest of the >ack/wings, but none of the markings on this bird had the rufous tones that >hipping Sparrows tend to show. I did not get a good look at the rump. >The overall tone of the bird, and face pattern suggest juvenile Brewer's >parrow, but the amount of solid information on the juvenile plumage of this >pecies, especially the northern race, taverneri, is maddeningly sparse. >Here are the photos: >http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=28347.0 >...any guidance, comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. >Cheers, >-greg neise >erwyn, IL >PS: thanks to all who sent a note concerning the Glaucous-winged Gull a week >r so ago. I've submitted documentation to the IORC, and I can't see any >eason why the record won't be accepted (#7 for IL). > >oin or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 >Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html > > > >Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 > >Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html > > Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01 Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html
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