Sparrows and Finches Flashcards
(30 cards)
pa-chip-chip-chip per-chick-a-ree
po-ta-to-chip (and dip {in flight})
American Goldfinch
(Spinus tristis)
A little yellow with black & white barring on wings during the winter.
Males have a hat!
Finchy chatter and flight call. “Potato chip, Potato chip!”
high whistles
American Tree Sparrow
A bicolored bill - grey top, yellow bottom.
A grey face, rusty cap & eyebar, and has a spot on the breast.
highly variable - clear; liquid; whistled phrases
seeeee; slip-slip-slip-slip-slip
Bachman’s Sparrow
Bachman’s Sparrow is an enigmatic resident of mature pine woods and open forest habitats of the southeastern United States. Early naturalists and writers in the South celebrated the species for its simple but pleasant song, which was among the most familiar sounds associated with the piney woods of the Deep South. The sparrow itself, however, is secretive and shy, so little formal study was done on this species prior to the mid-1980s.
Bachman’s Sparrow was originally described in 1834 by John James Audubon who collected a series of this species near Charleston, South Carolina. Audubon named the species after John Bachman, a Charleston clergyman with whom he stayed while collecting southern birds. John Bachman had previously discovered the species when he collected the first specimens at Parker’s Ferry, a town about 55 kilometers (35 miles) west of Charleston (1).
chipping trill (mechanical)
Chipping Sparrow
Rufous cap, white supercilium, BLACK (not rufous) eyeline!
Some white wing bars also.
Sounds like a sewing machine - all one note.
Juncos make more noises!
Insect-like call with two notes.
Clay-colored Sparrow
Clear breast, grey nape, pinkish bill w/ a dark tip and a streaked crown.
Insect-like call with two notes.
dit (repeated occasionally)
smack (repeated occasionally)
chipping trill (musical; tinkling)
Dark-Eyed Junco
(Junco hyemalis)
Only here during winer. Likes oak savannas, deciduous forests.
Pink bill and long leggies.
dick, dick, sizzle, sizzle
Dickcissel - Cardinalidae
Yellow with a black bib.
Very harsh call!
Starts it’s calls with two notes… “pink pink!”
Drink your TEAA!
Eastern Towhee
All dark head with rusty flanks and a white tail.
Drink your TEAA!
Call sounds like a dropping pingpong ball!
Field Sparrow
Rufous cap with a tan separation.
Darker brown eyebar w/ a white eyering and a pinkish bill.
Call sounds like a dropping pingpong ball!
Red song - Hello there what are you doing in here?
Fox Sparrow
Chonky
Rufous tail, some grey on the face, and a distinctive breast with rufous spots.
Red (only species found in eastern US but breeds to Alaska), Slate-coilored, Sooty, Thick-billed
tic-tac to see
Grasshopper Sparrow
Clearer breast and a yellow lore.
Shakes the legs off of grasshoppers!
Tinkling song, almost like a trill.
weak insect-like hiccup
Henslow’s Sparrow
Forages on the ground so isn’t super prone to flying.
Calls in the dusk and at night
Has a heavy bill, w/ color on it’s head looking like a continuation of the bill.
Olive wash to the face, semi-streaky.
Two short insect-like notes - very very fast!
Sounds like ice being poured into a cup - lots of notes, tinkling, and chaotic.
pit-sit (hp) tee-seep (hp)
Horned Lark
(Eremophila alpestris)
Common winter visitor in grassland and agricultural areas.
Very mottled back, w/ bright yellow face and black mustache.
zreee! (included in varied; warbling song)
House Finch
(Haemorhous mexicanus)
Heavy beak to crack open harder seeds.
Lots of streaking on back and breast for females.
A chattery call, ends in a high ascending tone. In the middle there is a descending trill.
chiddik; chiddik (dry; non-musical)
House Sparrow
(Passer domesticus)
Male is dinstinctive, with black bib, white cheek patches, and a rufous hat.
Females are drab with a clear breast.
Harsh, distinct call.
varied phrases (in couplets)
fire; fire; where? where? here; here; see it? see it?
Indigo Bunting - Cardinalidae
It’s blue.
It also has sweet, tangy chatter. Mmm.
song
Lapland Longspur - Calcariidae
Has a long spur-toe.
A backwards 7 on it’s head.
Bright bill, rusty cap, and a dark head.
rapid buzzes, whistles, trills
Lark Sparrow
Clean breat with a black patch, dark chestnut around auricular coverts and a tan/white supercilium.
Long tail for it’s body!
sweet, wren-like
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Streaked and divided cap with a distinct line.
zreeeeeee! (buzzy)
Pine Siskin - Fringillidae
Large flocks, very social!
Smaller than other finches, with a conical sharp bill and pretty streaky.
Has some yellow in it’s feather veins on the wing.
Has two calls:
- The first is like a zipper being pulled w/ chatter.
- “pew, pew pew!” flight calls.
warbling - varied phrases; fast; lively; brief
Purple Finch - Fringillidae
Males are redder, with a purple wash all over, not just the breast, and are less streaky.
Females are also streaky, but have a distinct white supercilium.
Has a similar call to house, but a bit different tones in their chatter and trills towards the end.
cheer-up; cheer-a-lee; cheer-ee-o
chink
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Cardinalidae
Females are streaky, with a heavy bill and a VERY distinct white supercilium.
Sounds like a confused robin.
zit-zit-zit-zeeee-zaaay (burry-raspy)
Savannah Sparrow
A semblance of a dark breast spot.
Yellow from suberciliar to lores.
Ends on a twangy not in it’s song. Also has insecty trills.
cheer-up; cheer-a-lee; cheer-ee-o (burry; raspy)
chick-burrr (last syllable rapidly trilled)
hurry; worry; blurry; flurry (burry)
Scarlet Tanager - Cardinalidae
Males very red, females very yellow.
The females actually call!
Like a robin but more harsh.
