Confirm Juv/Imm Song Sparrow -- Albany, CA, US (1 Viewer)

[UtahnBirder]

I believe this to be a juvenile/immature Song Sparrow. Is that correct? Taken from the bayside fields near the Albany Mudflats earlier today.

https://imgur.com/O5Bbq5I

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Looks like one.

 

[birdmeister]

Song is certainly possible, although I don't know how you rule out young Lincoln's Sparrow either.

 

[rkj]

Song is certainly possible, although I don't know how you rule out young Lincoln's Sparrow either.

Lincoln's can be ruled out by range; they do not breed within about 150 miles (240 km) of Albany.

 

[fugl]

Lincoln’s ruled out by long tail. . ..

 

[Po'ouli]

Looks better for a juvenile Spotted Towhee to me.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Apols for not knowing what sparrows are in range. Could it be eg Chipping? Looks really slender and long-tailed to me

 

[Microtus]

It's not a juvenile Spotted Towhee. Also https://abcbirds.org/bird/spotted-towhee/.

I don't think that it is a juvenile Chipping Sparrow either (5th, 8th, 11th photos); it seems to have a Song Sparrow shape.

 

[birdmeister]

Lincoln's can be ruled out by range; they do not breed within about 150 miles (240 km) of Albany.

Thanks. I agree with it being a juvenile Song Sparrow, then.

 

[Po'ouli]

If you look at the scapular region, you can see the spots developing that would indicate juvenile Spotted Towhee. A Song Sparrow would not have those spots.

 

[The Bird Nuts]

Beak shape, body proportions, face pattern, and back color all seem wrong for a towhee.
I don't really like Song Sparrow here either, though... Are there any more photos?

 

[Po'ouli]

Note also the white outer tail feathers. Here is a similar image of a juvenile Spotted Towhee:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...towhee+juvenile&selectedindex=19&vt=0&eim=0,1

 

[rkj]

Note also the white outer tail feathers. Here is a similar image of a juvenile Spotted Towhee:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...towhee+juvenile&selectedindex=19&vt=0&eim=0,1

I still believe it is a juvenile Song Sparrow. The pale outer tail feather just has light shining through it. The spots on the scapulars are developing feathers, entirely consistent with a young Song Sparrow. The pale supercilium and the rest of the face and throat pattern is something that is never seen on a towhee at any age. The body shape is too slender for a towhee. At another location other sparrows would be hard to eliminate, but in Albany, California, it can only be a Song Sparrow.