All sparrows share the traits of

The Tree Sparrow, photo taken by Gayle Trivers

canary-like seed cracking bills, eye stripes, and dashes or lines of color. Some varieties also have barred wings. They are all mixtures and different shades of browns, blacks, and whites, and a few species even have other dashes of colour. In the Mississagi area we have eleven species of sparrows (listed below), but a few of the favorites are the Tree, White-throated, and Song Sparrows. The White-throated Sparrow can be identified by its white throat, white and black stripes, and dashes of yellow above its eyes. The Tree Sparrow has a red-brown cap, a small black patch on its chest, and two white bars on its wings. It comes to the area in the fall and winter months, replacing the Song Sparrow, which migrates to Mexico. The Song Sparrow looks like your average sparrow; in fact, by looks, the only difference is the Song Sparrow's heavy breast streaks. However, its call is quite striking; it is a tune made up of musical and buzzy notes that usually starts with three or four bright repeated notes, sounding kind of like "sweet, sweet, sweet." Sparrows can be found in forests, meadows, fields, really about anywhere in the area.

11 Species of Sparrow in the Area

• Chipping Sparrow
• Clay-coloured Sparrow
• House Sparrow
• Leconte's Sparrow
• Lincoln's Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Swamp Sparrow
• Tree Sparrow
• Vesper Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow