Uncertain Sparrow - Hudson Valley, New York (1 Viewer)

[gsimonel]

I photographed this sparrow today along a creek bed in a hardwood forest in the Rockefeller State Forest Preserve, in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Could this be a Lincoln sparrow?

 

[Barbets48]

Looks to me like a young Song Sparrow

 

[gsimonel]

That's certainly possible. Song sparrows are abundant in this area. But I don't see the spot on the breast, or the distinctive forehead stripes that the adults have around here. I hadn't considered a juvenile, though.

Should we consider a savannah sparrow? The tail seems fairly blunt. I've attached 3 additional photos in case that's helpful. In two of the photos (3358, above, and 3376, below) I think I can see a hint of yellow near the cheeks, but that could just be a reflection.

 

[birdmeister]

Still a Song Sparrow, I think. Habitat is wrong for Savannah Sparrow. The "fluffy" plumage and fleshy gape are both indicative of a juvenile bird, plus the shorter tail. As far as Song vs. Lincoln's, I haven't seen many photos of juvenile Lincoln's, but this bird's bold facial markings as seen in images 3351 and 3348 look good for Song.

 

[gsimonel]

Okay. Juvenile song sparrow it is then. Thank you Barbets48 and birdmeister for the ID!

 

[rkj]

I think Barbets 48 and birdmeister have it right. It is surely a juvenile for the reasons birdmeister has given. The location is outside the breeding range of Lincoln's Sparrow, so that can be eliminated from consideration. Both Song and Swamp Sparrows do breed in that area, however. The juveniles of the two are very similar, but relatively heavy malar in this bird favors Song Sparrow. The best discussion of this problem I have found is here: https://www.birdpop.org/docs/pubs/Lai_et_al_2017_Identifying_Juvenile_Sparrows.pdf

 

[KC Foggin]

Song Sparrow for me as well