Savannah or Vesper Sparrow? Reno NV USA (1 Viewer)

[Birds4Kathy]

Hi, I saw both of these birds yesterday (Sept 21, 20020) at Swan Lake Nature Study Area on the outskirts of Reno Nevada. At first I thought they were both Savannah Sparrows which are common here but then I noticed that a few Vesper Sparrows are also reported. Are they both Savannah? Vesper? one of each (if so which is which). The more I look, the more confused I get. Any insights into how you determine what they are would be gratefully appreciated! Kathy

 

[KC Foggin]

I'm going with Savannah and two great images!

 

[kevinsl06]

Savannah

 

[Microtus]

Savannah indeed. I like the photos.

 

[bronze sunbird]

They can be tricky to sort out. A few things to look for: Vesper Sparrows are very plain/drab sparrows. They are a bit oddly shaped compared to common sparrow - less plump. The white eye ring usually stands out. Savannah is more of a classic sparrow shape (similar to Song Sparrow). In the first image you can see a yellow patch forward of the eye which is a good indicator for Savannah (though not all birds show it).

Hope this helps.!

 

[The Bird Nuts]

To add to bronze sunbird's points - Vespers tend to have much duller and heavily streaked supercilia.

 

[Birds4Kathy]

Thanks to all of you for helping me to sort this out!!!!!! I will keep all of your insight in mind going forward.

Best Wishes, Kathy

 

[KC Foggin]

Kathy, when you have a problem with an I D, don't hesitate to post an image here. That's what we're here for

 

[LucaPCP]

How do you distinguish Savannah from Song Sparrow? What does one look for?
I posted an ID that was kindly confirmed of a Song Sparrow but I based my ID also on range (Bay Area). Before I checked the range, it looked very similar to Savannah...

 

[Microtus]

Luca, take a look here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id, and especially scroll down to "Compare with Similar Species".