White Crowned Sparrow, First Winter, on a Chain-Link Fence

In Albums: nature birds Philadelphia

Oct 17th, 2012, by Alex Zorach

This photo shows a white-crowned sparrow in first winter plumage. These birds can be a bit of a mystery to inexperienced birders the first time they encounter them, as their plumages are not always depicted in field guides.

I found this bird in Cobbs Creek Park, at the border of West Philadelphia and Upper Darby.

To easily identify this bird, note the broken eye-ring, with a bold dark stripe through the eye, and a rufous crown. Also note the pink bill. American tree sparrows have a bicolored bill, field sparrows a complete eye-ring without a bold eye stripe, and chipping sparrows are much smaller and more delicately built.