Sorry again for the delayed posting, but I'm starting up again and moving on. Continuing in the theme of small brown birds, today's group are sparrows and buntings in the family Emberizidae. Ironically enough, this species, the Harris's Sparrow - Zonotrichia querula, is one of the more distinctive members of this group, and is definitely one of the largest.
The Emberizid sparrows are are generally small with cryptic colors; browns, whites and blacks. A few have yellow or red markings, but they're definitely the exception to the rule. Many novice birders, myself included start out thinking the are impossible to identify, but they're actually quite distinctive (again, there are exceptions). Considering their lack of coloration, it's amazing how diverse the patterning is. The sparrows are seed eaters, and are consequently a common site at bird feeders in winter. Many of these birds have pretty distinctive habitats, some of the more interesting are below:
Bachman's Sparrow - Aimophila aestivalis lives in pine/scrub woods in the southeast
LeConte's Sparrow - Ammodramus lecontei lives in wet meadows
Grasshopper Sparrow - Ammodramus savannarum - is a common site in fields and its grasshopper-like trill can be ubiquitous in some areas
Today's sparrow, Harris's Sparrow has a range that cuts a narrow swath straight down through the Great Plains, and extends down into southern Kasnas. The large size is typical of the genus Zonotrichia, but these are larger than usual. The males are very distinctive with their black face patterning, even in winter. This individual was hiding in some rather unpleasant cover, definitely a deterrent to predators.
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