Sparrow ID Central Texas USA (1 Viewer)

[J.W.Ray]

I was wondering if anyone could help me ID two sparrows observed today from their general descriptions and behavior, as I have no photo.

The two birds were seen together walking along a blacktop road in a park. They walked on the road and into the grass a bit but stayed right at the road/grass margin. They were not really fearful at all, they let me come very close, and when spooked they didnt really fly, they either walked off or flew a few yards at most and landed on the ground staying in the open. They had an odd way of hopping as well, where they pointed their beaks up and hopped high, straight up, very odd to me.

They did not have very strong features on their heads, but seemed to have a tan/ yellow hood which faded quickly on the breast. They were lightly speckled on the breast. They did have a darker spot / stripe in the "moustache" area, and a bit darker tan eyeline, but not any real strong lines anywhere.

Sorry for the poor descriptions and lack of photos. I thought they would be more easily found later by their behaviour. The closest I have come in combination of looks and behaviour seems to be Henslow's Sparrow, but from what I understand it doesn't seem they occur here....or I could be wrong.

Anyhow, basically I am just wondering if there are multiple species that behave/look along the lines of this general description? Is this ID just a lost cause? :eek!:

 

[Steve Gross]

Hard to say for sure, but a hopping, out-in-the-open, not-flushing-very-far, sparrow in a parking lot would most likely be a House Sparrow.

Henslow's Sparrow is a skulker, preferring (in my experience) to stay in thicker habitat, sometimes even flooded ground. Wintering birds here in TX flush from cover, fly several feet to many feet, then dig down into other cover, possibly never being seen again. They will walk or run between members of a group, staying under cover, until flushed again.

In instances when I've been with a group of five or more birders, we've encircled a bird and stood within feet without seeing it. On several occasions, the bird has sat very still within view, seeming as though it hoped it wasn't seen. A real skulker, in other words.

Henslow's also has an olive nape, which is readily apparent with good views.

There are plenty of sparrow species in your part of Texas during the winter, but the most likely candidate to meet your description is still House Sparrow.

 

[J.W.Ray]

Thanks for trying to help. I guess I will have to give up on these ones. I dont know what species it is, but I do know its one I am not familiar with........I am pretty sure I can ID House, Savannah, Fox, Harris, White Throat, White Crown, Lincolns, Swamp, Song ........ so it would be something odd and less common **most likely** though I could be wrong as I have been in the past!

The main reason I thought perhaps Henslow was its yellowish head and the comments in the Beadle Sparrow book....... it said migrants are reluctant to flush and may be approached closely. But I think in the end my memory of what they looked like is fading into a lost cause. Should have snapped those photos!

 

[LabradorDuck]

Both Savannah and Song Sparrow are incredibly variable in plumage (Fox too, but flocking along a roadside seems unlikely for them), and I have heard that Texas especially hosts a variety of forms in the winter. If you're sure the breast was speckled/streaked, that probably rules out House Sparrow, but unless looking at pictures jogs your memory, I think you're out of luck beyond that. Vesper Sparrow may also be a possibility, as well as others.