White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis · Sparrows
White-throated Sparrow, tan-striped
Prospect Park, 1 March 2026
A White-throated Sparrow in the park undergrowth in March, near the end of its winter here. It breeds across the boreal forest of Canada and spends the cold months in exactly this kind of leaf litter under shrubs, scratching for seed.
The tan-and-black head stripes and buffy, rather than bright yellow, lores mark the tan-striped morph. The species comes in two permanent colour forms, white-striped and tan-striped, that persist for a bird's whole life regardless of age or sex. Odder still, tan-striped birds overwhelmingly pair with white-striped mates rather than their own morph, one of the few well-documented cases of a wild bird choosing the opposite type.
White-throated Sparrow
Prospect Park, 15 November 2025
A White-throated Sparrow in the undergrowth of Prospect Park in November, one of the most common winter sparrows in the city. It breeds across the boreal forest of Canada and arrives in the park each October to spend the cold months scratching in exactly this kind of leaf litter under shrubs.
A crisp white throat patch and a bright yellow spot in front of the eye. The song is a thin, clear whistle that Canadians hear as "O sweet Canada Canada" and Americans as "Old Sam Peabody", which tells you more about the listeners than the bird.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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