Chipping Sparrow

As you already know, some birds are year-round residents, like the Northern Cardinal, while others are seasonal visitors. In the seasonal category we mostly think of our yearly spring and summer visitors, like the colorful Indigo Bunting or Scarlet Tanager who winter, respectively, in Central and South America. But we can’t forget those birds that visit Pennsylvania only during the winter months, for example, the American Tree Sparrow (see my blog for December 5, 2008).

But why talk about a wintering bird now, at the start of summer?

The reason is because the Chipping Sparrow, a summer guest over a vast range of the North American continent, looks quite similar to another sparrow, one who only winters with us here in Pennsylvania and across a large swath of the country: the American Tree Sparrow. Both have rusty caps and a dark eye stripe, though the Chipping Sparrow’s stripe is black and the Tree Sparrow’s is rufous.

Such distinctions, however, aren’t always noticeable on a quick glance. One conspicuous physical difference between these two seasonal sparrows is the American Tree Sparrow’s dark central spot on a gray chest. You won’t find this spot on the Chipping Sparrow’s gray chest. And while you’ll find both sparrows at your feeder (filled with black oil sunflower seeds), you’ll never find them visiting together because one visits in spring/summer and the other in winter.

Until next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne