Sparrows of a Different Stripe

Our yard is big and pleasingly messy, scrubby enough for a nice variety of emberizids to drop in during winter and migration. The most frequently encountered species is White-crowned Sparrow, and this morning two scratched under the thistle feeder while I did the breakfast dishes. They’re terrifically attractive birds, of course, but the real appeal for sparrow-watchers is that these handsome birds bear their addresses on their heads. One of the birds this morning, a white-lored gambelii, is headed far north, while its black-lored companion, of the race oriantha, may go no farther than northern Arizona to breed.