THE WAY TO STUDY BIRDS 



eye; under parts light gray, the throat with a 

 square white patch. Female and immature: 

 much paler, almost lacking the sharply defined 

 white areas of the male and with the black 

 replaced by brown. 



Field-marks: Yellow in front of eye. 

 Sharply defined white throat patch of male. 



Size and Shape: Length 6.7 inches. Bill 

 short and thick. 



Song: A clearly whistled and plaintive 

 "Swee-e-e-e, e-he-e, e-he-e, e-he-e," the last three 

 notes uttered rapidly, the first drawn out. Call: 

 a sharp metallic click. 



Seasonal Abundance: Arrives early in the 

 fall and departs late in the spring. 



Remarks : An easily found yet not conspicu- 

 ous bird. Often feeds in winter with Juncos 

 and Tree Sparrows. Old brush piles, thickets 

 and roadsides are its main haunts, tho it strays 

 to the open woods and fields for food. The 

 female and young are nondescript and unat- 

 tractive. 



3. TREE SPARROW 



Haunts: Almost unlimited, tho preferably 

 fields or thickets. 



Description : Similar to the Chipping Sparrow, 

 with which it may be easily confused. The Tree 

 Sparrow, however, has a black central breast 

 spot, and a brown rather than a black line thru 

 the eye. The Tree Sparrow is also larger than 

 the familiar "Chippy." 

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