 Song Sparrow Oft-overlooked and sometimes underappreciated, sparrows are coming through our area in force right now. The truth is House Sparrows, which we featured yesterday, aren't actually sparrows--they're a type of finch. But our native sparrows, denizens of thickets, forest edges, dunes, prairie and backyard bird feeders, are an engaging family of birds if not a formidable ID challenge.
Song Sparrows live up to their name with a sweet, melodic song heard in spring and summer most anywhere there is a little bit of brushy cover. White-throated Sparrows grace our neighborhoods in April, also with a wonderful song (Pure, sweet, Canada, Canada, Canada), one that hearkens to summer days in the North Woods where they breed. White-crowned Sparrows and several other migrant sparrows are in the midst of arriving and will linger for a few more weeks. The Field Museum and University of Illinois Extension have put together an excellent Rapid Field Guide to local sparrows, offering 20 images to help you decipher these subtly hued birds.
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