Color Key to North American Birds / with bibliographical appendix

by Frank M. Chapman

559. Tree Sparrow (Spizella monticola). L. 6.3. A black spot in the center of the breast. Ads. Cap reddish brown, no black on head; two white wing-bars, back streaked black, reddish brown and buff; below whitish; upper mandible black, lower yellowish. Notes. Call, a musical, tinkling, too-lay-it, song, "a loud, clear and powerful chant." Range.—Eastern North America, west to the Plains; breeds in Labrador and region west of Hudson Bay; winters south to South Carolina, Tennessee and Indian Territory. 559a. Western Tree Sparrow (S. m. ochracea). Similar to [No. 559], but back with much less reddish brown, largely brownish buff streaked with black. Range.—Western North America east to the Plains; breeds in Alaska; winters south to Mexican border. 560. Chipping Sparrow (Spizella socialis). L. 5.3. Ads. Crown reddish chestnut, forehead blackish; a black line from eye to nape; back streaked with black, reddish brown and grayish brown; wing-bars not conspicuous; below grayish white; bill largely black. Yng. Crown like back; cheeks brownish. Notes. Call, chip; song, an unmusical chippy, chippy, chippy, repeated. Range.—Eastern North America, west to the Plains; breeds from Gulf States to Newfoundland and Great Slave Lake; winters in the Gulf States and Mexico. 560a. Western Chipping Sparrow (S. s. arizonæ). Similar to [No. 560], but much grayer above; back with little or no reddish brown. Range.—Western North America; breeds from Mexican border states to Alaska; winters from California and Mexican border states to southern Mexico. 563. Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla). L. 5.6; T. 2.5. Bill entirely pinkish brown. Ads. Crown reddish brown, a gray line over the eye, a reddish brown stripe from behind it to nape; back reddish brown streaked with black; below whitish, no streaks, breast washed with buffy; two white wing-bars. Notes. Call, chip; song, a musical whistle, cher-weé, cher-weé-cher-weé, cheé-o, dee-e-e-e-e; with many variations but usually ending in a trill. Range.—Eastern North America; breeds from South Carolina, Alabama and central Texas north to Quebec and Manitoba; winters from Virginia and Illinois to Gulf States. 563a. Western Field Sparrow (S. p. arenacea). Similar to [No. 563], but much paler above; crown largely grayish; back with but little reddish brown, breast with little or no buff; tail longer, 2.7. Range.—Great Plains of interior; breeds from Nebraska and South Dakota to eastern Montana; winters south to northeastern Mexico; casually to Louisiana. (Ridgw.) 584. Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana). L. 5.8. Ads. Forehead black with a gray median line; crown bright chestnut; below grayish white; sides brownish, nape gray; back grayish, black, and buff. Yng. Crown streaked chestnut and black; gray line over the eye sometimes tinged with yellow; other parts deeper in color. Notes. Call, a sharp cheep; song, a simple tweet-tweet-tweet, etc., all on one note. Range.—Eastern North America, west to the Plains; breeds from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and northern Illinois, north to Labrador and Manitoba; winters from Kansas, southern Illinois, and Massachusetts to Gulf States.

542. Sandwich Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis). L. 5.7; W. 2.9 A yellow line from the bill passing over the eye; bend of wing usually tinged with yellow. Ads. Above streaked with black, chestnut and brownish gray; below white, (buffy in fall and winter), breast and sides streaked with black, the streaks narrowly margined with chestnut. Notes. Doubtless resemble those of [No. 542a]. Range.—Northwest coast; breeds in western Alaska; winters south to northern California. 542a. Savannah Sparrow (P. s. savanna). Similar to [No. 542], but smaller, W. 2.7; yellow line over eye shorter and less pronounced; bill smaller. Notes. Call a sharp tsip, frequently uttered; song, a weak, musical little trill following a grasshopperlike introduction, tsip, tsip, tsip, sē-e-e-s'r-r-r. (Dwight.) Range.—Eastern North America, west to the Plains; breeds from northern New Jersey (rarely), eastern Long Island, and Missouri north to Labrador and western Hudson Bay; winters from Virginia and southern Illinois to Cuba and Mexico. 542b. Western Savannah Sparrow (P. s. alaudinus). Similar to [No. 542a], but bill more slender, color averaging paler, the yellow line not passing over the eye, less evident before it and often wholly wanting. Range.—Western North America from the Plains west to the Sierra; breeds from Mexico City north to Alaska; winters from southern California southward. 542c. Bryant Marsh Sparrow (P. s. bryanti). Similar to [No. 542b], but smaller, W. 2.6; colors much darker, streaks below heavier; yellow over eye more pronounced. A darker bird even than [No. 542a], but with the bill slender as in [No. 542b]. Range.—Resident in salt marshes about San Francisco and Monterey Bay; winters south to San Pedro (Grinnell); casually to Mexico City. (Ridgw.) 543. Belding Sparrow (Passerculus beldingi). L. 5; W. 2.5. Ads. Similar to [No. 542c], but somewhat smaller, above darker and with a slight olive caste; underparts more heavily streaked. Range.—Pacific Coast; salt marshes from Todos Santos Island, Lower California, north to Santa Barbara. 544. Large-billed Sparrow (Passerculus rostratus). L. 5.5; W. 2.6. Bill stout, upper mandible curved; no yellow before eye or on bend of wing. Ads. Above grayish brown marked with brown and blackish but without well-defined streaks; below white, breast and sides streaked with grayish brown, the streaked feathers centrally blackish. Range.—Coast of southern California north to Santa Barbara; winters south to Cape St. Lucas and northwestern Mexico. 544a. St. Lucas Sparrow (P. r. guttatus). Similar to [No. 544], but smaller, W. 2.5; bill more slender; upperparts brownish gray with an olive tint and streaked with darker; similar to [No. 544c], but smaller, upperparts more olive and more widely, but less sharply streaked. Range.—Cape Region of Lower California in winter; breeding range unknown.

544b. Lagoon Sparrow (P. r. halophilus). Similar to [No. 544a], but larger, W. 2.7, and darker; streaks on chest with little if any brown edging; differing from No. 543, in more uniform coloration of upperparts, in less narrow and decidedly blackish streaks on chest, etc. Range.—Salt marshes, Abreojos Point, Lower California. 544c. San Benito Sparrow (P. r. sanctorum). Similar to [No. 544], but bill more slender; above grayer (brownish gray) distinctly streaked with blackish, the streaks margined with brown; below streaked with black, the streaks narrowly margined with brownish. Range.—Breeds on San Benito Island, Lower California; in winter to Cape Region of Lower California. 545. Baird Sparrow (Coturniculus bairdii). L. 5.7. Tail-feathers pointed, middle ones shortest. Ads. Crown yellowish brown, streaked with black; back black margined with chestnut and grayish; below whitish, breast and sides streaked with black. In fall and winter, colors richer. Notes. Song, "trick-e-trik-eeeee-chiky-le-roit, with a peculiar tinkling utterance." Range.—Great Plains; breeds from western Minnesota, North Dakota, eastern Montana, north to Manitoba and Assiniboia; winters south to Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. (Ridgw.) 546. Grasshopper Sparrow (Coturniculus savannarum passerinus). L. 5.3. Line before eye orange; bend of wing yellow; tail-feathers pointed. Ads. Crown black with a buffy central stripe; nape chestnut and gray; back black, chestnut buff and gray; below buffy, unstreaked, belly whiter. Notes. Call, a sharp chip; song, a weak, insect-like pit-tuck, zee-e-e-e-e-e-e. Range.—Eastern North America, west to the Plains; breeds from the Gulf States to Massachusetts, Vermont, and Minnesota; winters from North Carolina to Cuba and Mexico. 546a. Western Grasshopper Sparrow (C. s. bimaculatus). Similar to [No. 546], but paler below and with less black and more chestnut above. Range.—Western United States from the Plains to the Pacific; breeds from Mexican border states north to Montana and British Columbia; winters south into Mexico. 546b. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (C. s. floridanus). Similar to [No. 546], but smaller, W. 3; darker above, paler below; sides of crown almost solid black; chestnut above largely replaced by black. Range.—Kissimmee Prairies, Florida. 547. Henslow Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii). L. 5. Bend of wing yellow; tail-feathers pointed, the outer ones much the shortest. Ads. Crown and nape pale olive-green streaked with blackish; back bright reddish brown streaked with black and gray; below white; breast and sides washed with buff and streaked with black. Notes. Call, tee-wick; song, sis-r-r-rit-srit-srit. (Jouy.) Range.—Eastern North America; breeds locally, from Virginia and Missouri, north to New Hampshire, southern Ontario and Minnesota; winters from Virginia and Missouri south to the Gulf of Mexico. 547a. Western Henslow Sparrow (A. h. occidentalis). Similar to [No. 547], but paler, in summer little or no buff below. Range.—Central western states; breeding, so far as known, in South Dakota; in winter south to Texas.

548. Leconte Sparrow (Ammodramus lecontei), L. 5. No yellow on wing; tail-feathers pointed, outer ones much the shortest. Ads. Broad line over eye, throat, breast and sides rich buff; nape chestnut and gray; back black narrowly margined with chestnut and, at the sides, broadly with buff; sides streaked; breast rarely with a few streaks. Notes. Call, a thin, sharp, tweet, and a long-drawn bizz; song, a tiny, husky, reese, reese. (Seton.) Range.—"Great Plains and more western prairies; breeding from Dakota, Minnesota, etc., to Manitoba, migrating south and east, in winter, through Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, etc., to South Carolina and Gulf States from Florida to Texas." (Ridgw.) 533. Pine Finch (Spinus pinus). L. 5. Bill sharply pointed; a tuft of bristly feathers over the nostril; tail slightly forked. Ads. Base of tail, of inner wing-feathers and outer edges of primaries yellow; above brownish; below whitish streaked with black. Notes. Call, a metallic note; song, tinkling and musical often sung on the wing as with [No. 529], the song of which it resembles. Range.—North America; breeds from northern boundary states to Alaska; in the Alleghanies south to North Carolina; and in the Rockies and Sierra south to Mexico; winters from the northern states to Gulf states and Lower California. 541. Ipswich Sparrow (Passerculus princeps). L. 6.2. Ads. Above pale brownish gray streaked with brown; below white, breast and sides streaked with brownish; spot above eye and bend of wing often pale sulphur yellow. Notes. Resemble those of [No. 542a]. Range.—Breeds on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, winters south along coast, regularly to Virginia, rarely to Georgia. 549. Sharp-tailed Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus). L. 5.8. Tail-feathers sharply pointed, outer ones shortest. Ads. Below white, breast and sides washed with buff and distinctly streaked with black; nape olive-green; cheeks orange-buff; ear-coverts gray; crown olive-chocolate with a blue-gray central line; back olive, buff, black and gray. Notes. Call, chip; song, an unmusical, short, "husky," "gasping" effort, uttered from a perch or on fluttering wings above the reeds. Range.—Atlantic coast; breeds from South Carolina to New Hampshire; winters from North Carolina to Florida. 549.1. Nelson Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni). L. 5.5. Tail-feathers pointed, outer ones shortest. Ads. Similar to [No. 549], but breast and sides much deeper buff, the former with few or no streaks; upperparts more richly colored. Notes. Resemble those of [No. 549]. Range.—Breeds in interior from northern Illinois to Manitoba and South Dakota; migrates east to New York and winters south to South Carolina and Texas; accidental in California. 549.1a. Acadian Sharp-tailed Sparrow (A. n. subvirgatus). Similar to [No. 549.1], but breast and sides paler, the former lightly but distinctly streaked with grayish; upperparts less richly colored. Range.—Atlantic coast; breeds in marshes of eastern Maine, southern New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island; winters south to South Carolina.

550. Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus). L. 6: W. 2.5. Tail-feathers pointed, the outer ones shortest; spot before eye and bend of wing yellow. Ads. Above olive-green and gray (no black); below white, breast and sides grayish and, in first plumage, streaked with buff. Notes. Similar in character to those of [No. 549]. Range.—Atlantic coast; breeds in salt marshes from North Carolina to southern Massachusetts; winters from Virginia to Georgia. 550a. Scott Seaside Sparrow (A. m. peninsulæ). Similar to [No. 550], but smaller, W. 2.3; above black margined by olive-brown and olive-green; below whitish, breast and sides heavily streaked with blackish. Range.—Atlantic coast from northeastern Florida to South Carolina; Gulf Coast of Florida. 550b. Texas Seaside Sparrow (A. m. sennetti). Similar to [No. 550], but greener above; the feathers of head and back usually, those of nape always, with black centres. Range.—Coast of Texas. 550c. Fisher Seaside Sparrow (A. m. fisheri). Similar to [No. 550a], but darker above, the breast and sides heavily washed with rusty buff and streaked with black. Range.—Coast of Louisiana, south in winter, at least as far as Corpus Christi, Texas; casual on Gulf coast of Florida. 550d. Macgillivray Seaside Sparrow (A. m. macgillivraii). Similar to [No. 550c], but above grayer, less black, breast and flanks but faintly washed with buff and streaked with dusky grayish. Grayer above than [No. 550a], and less heavily streaked below. Range.—Local on coast of South Carolina. 551. Dusky Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus nigrescens). L. 5.9. Above black lightly margined with gray; below white heavily streaked with black; spot before eye and bend of wing yellow. Notes. Similar in character to those of [No. 550]. Range.—Marshes at head of Indian River, Florida, from Banana River to Haulover Canal. 583. Lincoln Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii). L. 5.7. Ads. A broad buff band across the breast; center of crown with a gray stripe, its sides striped chestnut and black; back grayish brown streaked with black and chestnut, below streaked with black except on middle of white belly. Notes. Call, a sharp chirp; song, suggests bubbling, guttural notes of House Wren combined with rippling music of the Purple Finch. (Dwight.) (See, also, Brewster, Bird-Lore II, P. 111.) Range.—North America; breeds from northern New York, northern Illinois and higher parts of Rockies and Sierra north to Alaska; winters from southern Illinois and southern California into Mexico; rare east of Alleghanies. 583a. Forbush Sparrow (M. l. striata). Similar to [No. 583], but browner above, crown-stripe and line over eye more brown than gray. Range.—Pacific coast from British Columbia to California; breeding range unknown.