High Desert Sparrow, western US (1 Viewer)

In the new dark photo, the noticeably white throat and belly stand out with the buff wash sandwiched in the middle, covered in delicate streaks. The face colors remain. And again, the malar stripe doesn't fan out at the bottom.

Still a Lincoln's.

Hi All,

I think that the suite of features mentioned by JanJ, birderbf, and others rules out anything but a Lincoln's Sparrow from consideration. While Song's can be similar in some respects, I have yet to see one that shared the suite of features seen on the mystery bird.

It is a shame that there exists inconsistencies in plumage terminology. One person's submoustachial stripe is another's malar, while that one person's malar is a lateral throat stripe. I think that David Sibley built a pretty good argument for identifying the submoustachial stripe more properly as a malar, since it is comprised of a specific tract of feathers lying between the auriculars and the throat. He further pointed out that the darker feathers, oft referred to malar stripes, are comprised of lateral throat feathers rather than those from the malar tract of feathers. I realize that Grant & Mullarney popularized the terms moustachial, submoustachial, and malar many years ago, but it's always bugged me that something that is labeled a malar on one bird, is called the submoustachial on another bird simply because it is bordered by darker feathers either above or below, when both are formed from the same feather group. I guess I need to get a life. :-O

Chris

Hello Chris.

Have thought of this myself, always thinking of what terminology to use when on here. Have my terminology from Lars Svensson,s ringers guide (Identification guide to European Passerines) where dark malar stripe is Sibley´s lateral throat-stripe, Sibley´s pale malar is Svenssons pale sub-moustachial stripe and both have the dark lower border to the auriculars (earcoverts) as the moustachial/mustache stripe.

JanJ

I will recant, and join the camp of Lincoln's Sparrow. Those are very thin, dark streaks on the subject bird!

The main thing that was throwing me off was the lightness of the orange/buff breast coloration. I now think that was just the lighting effects of the photograph.