White-throated sparrows can be seen across much of North America, and they are relatively easy to identify compared to some of their other sparrow cousins. With their recognizable song and habit of visiting backyard bird feeders, these cute sparrows are well-loved by many bird watchers. Here are 14 interesting facts you many not have known about white-throated sparrows.
1. Their white throat patch gives the white-throated sparrow its name.
As you might suspect from their name, the white-throated sparrow does indeed have a white throat. It is a clearly defined white patch that sits below their beak, but does not extend down to the breast. All adults have this white throat patch, and it is the easiest way to tell them apart from other sparrow species.
2. White-throated sparrows come in two color forms.
Females and males do not have different plumage based on their sex, however adults of either sex can take on two color forms. The difference in these two color forms is on their head.
There is the “white-crowned” variety that has a crisp white throat, and head stripes in bold black and white with a bright yellow spot above the beak. The “tan-crowned” variety has the same pattern only a little more dull. The head stripes are dark brown and tan, and the yellow spot above the beak is often much less obvious. The white throat patch on the tan-crowned variety is also sometimes more off-white and less defined.
So if you’ve seen these two slightly different looking variations and assumed one was male and one was female or that the duller one was a juvenile, that would be incorrect. There are both male and female white-crowned forms, and male and female tan-crowned forms.
3. These two color-forms are found side by side.
Most of the time, when a bird species has more than one distinct color form, they are separated by geographic location. However the white-crowned and tan-crowned varieties are found side by side across their range. In fact, a white-crowned variety almost always pairs up to mate with a tan-crowned variety! Either a white male with tan female, or white female with tan male.
4. The different colored white-throated sparrows have different behaviors.
One more fascinating fact about these two color varieties is that after years of research, it has been discovered that they exhibit different behaviors!
The white variety tends to be more aggressive, with even white females helping to defend territory. White males sing more frequently than tan males, and white females sing too.
The tan variety tends to be more nurturing. Tan males sing less than white males, and tan females rarely sing at all. Tan females don’t help defend territory like the white females do. The tan variety of both sexes bring more food to their young than the white variety.
When it comes to mate preference, overall females of either color prefer tan males, while males of either variety tend to prefer white females. Quite an intricate social structure, and the mix creates the best of both worlds – protective and nurturing.