When I was in Toronto a few days ago (I’ll get a report online at some point I hope!) I came across a small sparrow foraging in some grass that I found difficult to identify at first. It became apparent what it was when it was joined by a (very worn) adult, but to begin with I was wondering whether I’d just found an odd-looking Clay-coloured and whether - if I’d found this bird in the UK - I’d have been able to put a name to it before it inevitably disappeared over the horizon never to be seen again.

It may be that many local birders would have identified this sparrow without a moment’s hesitation, but being a Brit and not spending all year in North America I was certainly puzzled. So what features should I have been concentrating on to have made an id like a local?

Well, let’s work through things logically.

1. I’m in eastern North America in a grassy habitat surrounded by trees. That alone narrows the choice down and rules out western, desert sparrows for example, or marsh specialists (yes, vagrants can turn up anywhere, but the reason vagrants are also rarities is because there are so few of them: when identifying an unknown bird look to the common species first, because it’s likely to be one of them).
2. Clearly this bird is small and delicately-built: it’s obviously not one of the larger Zonotrichia sparrows like White-throated or White-crowned, and perhaps best fits a Spizella.
3. I saw this bird in late August which means I should be considering juveniles and immatures as well as adults…
4. …and it’s actually heavily streaked on both the crown and the underparts, which almost inevitably points towards a juvenile…

So I have in front of me a small juvenile sparrow, feeding on grass seeds, in eastern North America. Which species fits the bill? Time to look at the plumage features.

The bird is heavily streaked (in fact UK birders faced with this bird at home may well have thought they had a juvenile Linnet at first glance). It has a two-toned bill and - importantly - dark lores (the area between the eyes and the bill). It’s quite short-tailed. And other than a noticeably dark eye-line it’s neither bright nor well-marked.

Got it yet? Here are a few more images to help you on your way.

 

 

 

Yes, what we have here is a Chipping Sparrow, a common, small sparrow typically found feeding on grass seeds in open wooded/lightly wooded areas, and which - as a juvenile - is heavily streaked, has dark lores, and a strong dark eye-line.

My life Clay-coloured will just have to wait, but a lesson learned about a supposedly familiar species is just as important as getting a new bird - and when I finally do see a Clay-coloured I’ll have another mental image tucked away with which to compare and reach the correct identification.