One of my favorites! (Of course they really all are, LOL) Anyway this is the white-striped form of this sparrow and I just love the clean white and black stripes and white throat of this bird. Even the yellow patches in front of the eye appear brighter than the tan-striped form. A most handsome bird!
I've got quite a few of these sparrows in both forms as well as first winter birds in here this year and they are so variable. Thought you'd like to see this one.
Thought you'd be interested to read about the two morphs, I got this information from Cornell site.
"The White-throated Sparrow comes in two color forms: white-striped and tan-striped. Tan-striped birds have dull whitish or light tan head stripes, and more brownish chests that usually contain some streaking. In the spring when the sparrow is most brightly colored, most individuals are easily assigned to a color morph. In fall, the morphs are more similar and many birds appear intermediate between the two.
The two color forms of the White-throated Sparrow are determined by genetic differences, and are unique among birds. Oddly, individuals almost always mate with a bird of the opposite morph. Males of both color types prefer females with white stripes, but both kinds of females prefer tan-striped males. White-striped birds are more aggressive than tan-striped ones, and white-striped females may be able to outcompete their tan-striped sisters for tan-striped males. "
