White-Throated Sparrow | Backyard Birds

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white-throated sparrow

Beak Tab

Beak

Another bird with a powerful heavy bill made especially for cracking and crushing weed and grass seeds. Most birds will also eat insects, and sparrows enjoy pecking away on the ground for any insects or grubs they can find as well.

Silhouette Tab

Appearance

Silhouette Image

These beautiful sparrows have a blunt head shapes, short powerful bills, and slender bodies with long tails. There are two colour types: white-striped and tan-striped, referring to their head markings.

Food Tab

Food

These handsome birds can be attracted to your feeders in the spring and fall. Sometimes they will stay all winter if the food and cover appeals to them. Since they are sparrows, they are usually seen on the ground hopping slowing and inspecting every inch for seeds missed by other birds. Sparrows are specialists, primarily eating weed and grass seeds, but you can feed them millet, cracked corn and mixed bird seed sprinkled on the lawn or near shrubs and trees.

Habitat Tab

Habitat

White-throated sparrows prefer barren burned or logged areas, and evergreen forests. They have an amazing song that people can remember as sounding like "O Canada, Canada, Canada, Canada.” Many hikers, trout fisherman, and cottage dwellers often hear, but never see, these birds. The song represents the northern forest and once heard, you never forget its beauty.