Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Song Sparrow · San Diego · 6 March 2026
A Song Sparrow on a broken stem rather than in cover, which is a favourite habit of the species - it sings from an exposed low perch more readily than most sparrows. The heavy breast streaking gathers into a central spot, the reliable mark on a bird that varies enormously across the continent. Song Sparrows learn their songs from their neighbours rather than their fathers, so a local dialect can be heard on one hillside and not the next.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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