Species guide
White-throated Sparrow: how to recognise it
A bird of Europe and North America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © JoshExistsToo · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Zonotrichia albicollis
- Family
- New World Sparrows
- Size
- About 15–19 cm
- Habitat
- Forest edges, thickets and gardens
- Found in
- Europe and North America
The key marks
A striped head with a bold white throat patch and a yellow spot between the eye and the bill.
Voice
A pure, thin whistle, “old Sam Peabody, Peabody”.
Good to know
Its clear whistled song is often put into words as “Oh, sweet Canada, Canada, Canada”.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in forest edges, thickets and gardens. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.