Tan males invest in parental care and guard their mates from others searching for extra pair copulations (EPCs). The tan and white morphs of white-throated sparrows use different reproductive strategies. They nest either on the ground under shrubs or low in trees in deciduous or mixed forest areas and lay three to five brown-marked blue or green-white eggs. White-throated sparrows breed in central Canada and New England. ![]() The wings are rufous with two distinct white wing bars. The breast has gray/tan streaks and the streaks continue down the flanks but the belly is generally light gray. The aggression is because of high level of estrogen receptor alpha in white-striped birds. Both male and female white-striped birds are more aggressive than tan-striped birds during the breeding season. The two color morphs occur in approximately equal numbers. They almost always pair with the opposite color morph for breeding. ![]() ![]() There is variation and some individuals may show dark lateral stripes of each side of the throat. Both variations feature dark eyes, a white throat, yellow lores and gray bill. The auriculars are gray/light brown with the upper edge forming a brown eye line. On the tan form, the crown is dark brown with a tan central stripe. The auriculars are gray with the upper edge forming a black eye line. On the white-striped form the crown is black with a white central stripe. There are two adult plumage variations known as the tan-striped and white-striped forms. They are similar in appearance to the white-crowned sparrow, but with white throat markings and yellow lores. It measures 15 to 19 cm (5.9 to 7.5 in) in length with a wingspan of 23 cm (9.1 in). The white-throated sparrow is a passerine bird of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae. The specific albicollis is from Latin albus ( transl. The genus name Zonotrichia is from Ancient Greek ζώνη ( zone, transl. The white-throated sparrow ( Zonotrichia albicollis) is a passerine bird of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae. She will usually lay up to 6 eggs, and the young will leave the nest about 7 to 12 days after being hatched.White-throated sparrows prefer to forage on the ground. Her eggs are a pale shade of green-blue and dotted with purple and brown speckles. These nests are usually second attempts after a predator robs the first nest. She constructs it close to the ground, covered by vegetation like the edge of a thicket. The female will build the nest on her own using materials such as twigs, pine needles, grasses, and deer fur. In the breeding season, the male will return to their breeding range 2 weeks ahead of the females to establish their nesting territories. They will find their breeding partner quickly and will usually forage together. White-throated sparrows will breed monogamously for the breeding season but not necessarily for life. When their young are still in the nest, they feed them insects exclusively. They enjoy fruits from shrubs and blackberry tangles. They usually forage their seeds from the floors of forests and weeds and grasses. White-throated sparrows are omnivores, and their diet consists of insects, fruits, and seeds. Some can even be found in the deserts of Texas in winter. You can spot them in backyards, parks, thickets, and hedgerows in winter and during migration. They are usually areas that are regrowing from fire or logging damage or the edges of meadows or ponds. You will find them up in the tree lines in low but dense vegetation openings. White-throated sparrows prefer semi-open wooded areas with shrubby growth or brush but are primarily found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests, especially in summer. Most white-throated sparrows spend the winter in the eastern United States, from New England in the north to northern Mexico in the south. They also breed in Minnesota and New England during the summer. White-throated sparrows breed in northwestern Canada, including Central Quebec and Newfoundland. ![]() White Throated Sparrow: Range, Habitat, Behavior, Diet & Nesting Range The females and the younger birds are duller in appearance. The top part of their body is striped, while the underparts are a soft grey. Their crowns are white with a black stripe that runs down the center. They have distinct markings on their face defined by a white throat patch, with a dark beak and yellow eyes. The White Throated Sparrow is a small bird measuring between 2.6 and 2.9 inches long. White Throated Sparrow General Description
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