Zonotrichia albicollis
Copyright, Dan Sudia
The White-throated
Sparrow is one of several species of sparrows that spend the
winter in Virginia. These birds grow six to
seven inches long. Males are easy to recognize, with a white
throat patch, black and white stripes on the head, and
bright yellow blotches in front of the eye. Females are
duller, without the yellow blotches. White-throated Sparrows
can be seen just about everywhere in Winter, including:
forests,
marshes,
fields,
thickets,
yards, gardens,
parks, streamsides, and edges.
They prefer places with brushy undergrowth. Copyright,
Ron
Austing
COPYRIGHT Michael Allen McDowell
Copyright, Fernbank
Science Center White-throated Sparrows
do not spend the summer here, instead they migrate
North to Canada. They form small flocks
in Winter and look for food, in trees
and shrubs,
and on the ground. Some foods include: dogwood
fruit,
Eastern Redcedar fruit, maple buds,
oak buds, Sweetgum seeds,
and many seeds from weeds
and grasses. They also search the ground for
insects
and spiders, including ants, beetles, and fly
larvae. White-throated Sparrows
don't nest here, so they find places to shelter
themselves, including: Black Willows, vines,
Greenbriers, tall grasses, hollies, Smooth Sumac, Eastern
Redcedar, blackberries, and other "shrubby"
plants. Copyright, Leslie
Day Copyright, Mike
Danzenbaker
