Subject: Need sparrow ID
Date: Jul 21 08:27:00 1997
From: Kas Dumroese - dumroese at uidaho.edu


Tweets,

Thursday I got a brief look at a Spizella sparrow at my home on Paradise
Ridge just south of Moscow, ID. All three Spizella's (Chipping, Brewer's,
and Clay-colored) have been recorded on the ridge, although the later two
haven't been recorded in decades. My first glance at this bird was from
the rear as it fed on the ground beneath some bushes. My impression was
Spizella but it seemed longer tailed than the rest of the juvie Chipping
Sparrows that are about. I also noted a sharp contrast between the outer
tail feather (it looked whitish, maybe buffy) when compared with the rest
of the tail. I couldn't tell if it was on both sides or just one. When
it popped back out again, I saw a buffy band across a streaked
breast, with the buff wash appearing to drift down the flanks as well. It
strongly reminded me of the buffy breast of a Lincoln's Sparrow and with
that I noticed there was no eye ring -- but before I could really look at
the facial markings, it was gone.

Pretty thin description. I have zero experience with Clay-colored's, but
parts of this description mesh well with descriptions in Byers et al.
Sparrows and Buntings. Could this have been a Clay-colored?

Thanks,

Kas Dumroese
Moscow, ID