110 BIRDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA 



Sparrows, Grosbeaks, and others. Many of them are fine sing- 

 ers, and some are beautiful in color. 



The Sparrows are modest colored birds and not always 

 easily distinguished from each other. They are unpretentious 

 in song and not remarkably interesting to study. We have them 

 with us all the time, but not always the same species : some are 

 annual residents, some winter residents, others summer resi- 

 dents, but most are migrants. They are all of great value in de- 

 stroying weed seeds, although, like practically all birds, they 

 feed their young on insects. The English Sparrow is known to 

 every child, and for this reason may be taken as the type and 

 measure of them all, some being larger and some smaller; al- 

 though the English Sparrow is utterly different in habits from 

 all others. 



The Grosbeaks are a notable group in this family, much 

 larger than most Sparrows, some of them gorgeously colored, 

 and many noted for sweet song. They have thick, powerful bills 

 for crushing seeds and opening cones. 



The Longspurs are distinctively birds of the open prairie. 

 They are named from the unusual development of the hind toe 

 and claw. The unpracticed observer would not distinguish them 

 from Sparrows, to which they are closely related. 



514. Evening Grosbeak (Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina.) 



A winter resident in our State and not abundant. Similar 

 in size to the well known Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Crown and 

 tail black; upper part of wings white, lower part black; back 

 and under parts dark yellow. Female dingy yellow, lighter be- 

 low. The bill is thicker than in other Grosbeaks. 



515. Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator leucura.) 



This bird is rare in the State as a winter resident. Mr. 

 A. T. Solem, a keen bird observer of Union County, says, "In 

 earlier years I saw it frequently, but rarely of late." Mr. Charles 

 E. McChesney also saw it at Fort Sisseton in 1898. 



It is about eight and one half inches in length. Male gray, 

 ringed with rosy red but gray predominating on center of back, 

 wings and under parts. Female gray and not tinged with red. 



