Song Sparrow(Melospiza melodia)

You might think all little brown birds look alike.  In fact, some people think all birds are sparrows!

All birds look like sparrows to me.  There are big sparrows, small sparrows and gaily colored sparrows.  But they all look like sparrows.  Last summer I realized this was a know-nothing attitude, so I bought two bird books. They were filled with every conceivable kind of sparrow.
-Andy Rooney-

Don't be daunted by sparrow identification, however.  There are some easy ways to begin the process of distinguishing one from another.

The Song Sparrow does vary in appearance depending on where you see it and it is a very streaky brown bird, but in general you should notice that it has a white or whitish throat outlined by dark stripes.  The head is mostly gray gray with brown stripes.  Brown streaking along the upper portion of the breast often forms a distinctive spot or smudge in the middle.  Take a look at this picture...

The Song Sparrow was first described in 1810 and was named Fringilla melodia.  It has always been a common bird and today is one of the more common sparrows, benefitting from development.  Their range has even expanded, spreading to the south.

....................