Streaky Sparrows of Northern California: Song, Savannah, Lincoln’s, and Fox Sparrow

Winter is a terrific season to practice sparrow identification skills. Let’s explore how to identify the four streaky-breasted sparrows found in Northern California: Song Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow. **
 
Each of these sparrows can vary in appearance across different North American regions. Below, we’ll discuss the type of each most commonly found in Sonoma County.

Song Sparrow

 
The Song Sparrow is our most common streaky sparrow, occurring year-round. The types most seen in the Bay Area are typically quite dark with reddish-brown tones.

Appearance

• Size: Medium
• Color: Dark browns and grays, with rufous tones
• Bill: Stout and usually dark
• Head/Face Pattern: Boldly striped
  • Brown and gray stripes
  • Head is fairly large and round
  • Triangular brown markings border pale malar and throat
• Breast Streaking: Thick and messy
• Tail: Long and rounded

 
Notice below the stout bill, rounded tail, and large, rounded head with bold brown-and-gray striping. The messy streaks converge into a single dark splotch – a characteristic that can be seen on all the streaky sparrows.

Song Sparrows can be bold and sometimes pop up very close. It’s not uncommon to see their tails cocked-up at an angle while feeding on the ground or perched.

Though this individual is less heavily streaked on the breast, the streaks are still messy – even splotchy. Notice the triangular face marking bordering the pale throat and pale malar stripe.

Song Sparrows often forage out in the open. Notice the rufous tones on this bird’s wings, back, and tail.

Habitat

Song Sparrows are found in a wide variety of habitats – including both conifer and oak woodlands, coastal scrub and chaparral, and suburban yards – but are observed in highest densities near riparian and marshy areas. They don’t form same-species flocks, preferring to remain solo or in pairs.

Winter Vocalization

Even in January, we’re hearing an occasional Song Sparrow singing. However, the most common vocalization heard in winter is a short, hoarse sound referred to as a “chimp call.”

Savannah Sparrow

 
The Savannah Sparrow is the other streaky sparrow present year-round.

Appearance

• Size: Small
• Color: Browns and tans
• Bill: Petite and usually light pink
• Head/Face Pattern: Striped
  • Brown and tan stripes
  • Head is fairly small
  • Yellow in front of and above eyes (not always present)
• Breast Streaking: Thin and crisp
• Tail: Short and notched

 
Notice how thin these breast streaks are, and how the short tail is conspicuously notched.

This particular bird shows yellow prominently above and in front of its eye.

Here’s a Savannah Sparrow in its appropriate habitat – a dried, grassy field. In the right lighting, the pink legs can appear almost translucent. This individual doesn’t show much yellow near the eye.

Compared to the other streaky sparrows, the Savannah is a lighter-colored bird overall. You can see here that the head and face are dominated by browns and tans. Notice the pink legs and petite pink bill.

Habitat

Savannah Sparrows are most likely to be found near open grasslands and pastures. This is the only streaky sparrow in our area that sometimes forms a sizable same-species flock.

Winter Vocalization

The call of a Savannah Sparrow is a thin, high-pitched “tsip.” As you can see in this spectrogram, it quickly drops in pitch. This down-slurred quality can be picked out in the field once learned.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

 
The Lincoln’s Sparrow is shy and secretive, and only present in our area from fall through early spring.

Appearance

• Size: Dainty
• Color: Browns, grays, and a light buffy/cream
• Bill: Small and darkish (lower mandible sometimes lighter)
• Head/Face Pattern: Delicately striped
  • Brown and gray stripes w/ fine dark lines
  • Head often “peaked”
  • Thin brown lines border creamy malar and pale throat
• Breast Streaking: Fine and discrete – limited to buffy upper breast
• Tail: Medium and flat

 
The color scheme of a Lincoln’s Sparrow is similar to that of a Song Sparrow. However, Lincoln’s show buffy/creamy tones throughout. In addition to a buffy breast, the Lincoln’s has a buffy eye-ring and malar. At close range, fine dark streaks within the crown stripes also become apparent.

Notice the streaking and creamy wash are limited to the upper breast and flanks, while the white belly is unmarked. The streaks themselves are very thin, as if drawn on with a fine-tipped pen. Though the head feathers are often peaked, Lincoln’s Sparrows can sometimes show a rounded head like below.

Here, you can see how the creamy wash of the upper breast extends down the flanks. Notice the extreme peaked head shape and petite bill.

This individual exemplifies the soft buffy coloration of a Lincoln’s.

Habitat

Lincoln’s Sparrows are never far from cover, preferring riparian areas with plenty of vegetation. They can also be found in brushy fields, forest edges, and marshes. 

Winter Vocalization

The Lincoln’s Sparrow gives a dry, “tick” call that is somewhat similar to a Dark-eyed Junco or Fox Sparrow. The “smack“-ing quality is less explosive than a Fox Sparrow, and a little thicker and lower-pitched than a junco.

Fox Sparrow

 
The Fox Sparrow is our bulkiest sparrow, and only present in our area from fall through early spring.

Appearance

• Size: Big and bulky
• Color: Dark grayish-brown
• Bill: Chunky and bi-colored (lower mandible is yellow)
• Head/Face Pattern: Mostly unmarked
  • Head is large and round
  • Thin, white eye-ring
• Breast Streaking: Thick and messy chevrons or splotches
• Tail: Proportionately long

 
Below is a good example of the Fox Sparrow’s chunky, bi-colored bill and chevrons extending from breast to belly. The tail can show some rufous tones.

Like all the streaky sparrows, the Fox Sparrow’s markings can sometimes coalesce into a central breast spot. But, notice how the unpatterned head and back set this species apart from the three others.

Fox Sparrows often appear plump, like this “birb” below. The “Sooty” type is most often found in our area, named so for its dark grayish-brown coloration.

Fox Sparrows often forage by scratching their feet in little hops to kick up the first layer of leaf litter.

Because of the Fox Sparrow’s large size and plain dark back and face, it’s the easiest to tell apart from the other streaky sparrows.
 
However, it is more often confused with the Hermit Thrush. An easy difference lies in the shape of the bill – the Fox Sparrow has a chunky, triangular bill (like most sparrows), while the Hermit Thrush has a straight, narrower bill.

Habitat

Fox Sparrows are typically seen in the cover of dense thickets or vegetation, often foraging in the duff below.

Winter Vocalization

An explosive “tick!” call from inside a tangle of blackberry or coyote brush can reveal the presence of a Fox Sparrow. Also, listen for loud scratching coming from the leaf litter.

Putting It All Together

When identifying any bird, it’s important to rely on multiple clues or field marks. Sparrows – often referred to as “Little Brown Jobs” – are particularly difficult to sort out. So, when you come across one of our streaky sparrows, focus on the following features to help identify the LBJ:

 

** Note: Though the Vesper Sparrow is streaky, it is an infrequent visitor to coastal Northern California, and thus, isn’t included in our discussion.