Clear breast – may have central spot or dark under chi but little to no streaking
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Wing bar – Yes
- Field Sparrow
- Golden-Crowned
- White-Crowned
- Chipping
- White-Throated
- American Tree
Wing bars may be faint in summer, winter birds have stronger wing bar and white eye-ring.
Eye ring – yes, including partial
Field Sparrow – pink bill, pale rufous and gray head, bushy, weedy, low shrubs, fence lines
Faint or none
Clay-Colored Sparrow– stripped crown, eye line, light gray eyebrow, verticle throat stripe, wing bar in spring – open bushy areas and fields
Golden-Crowned Sparrow – golden yellow on the front of the crown, wide black eyebrow line – dense undergrowth of parks and woodlands
White-Crowned Sparrow – white crown, strong black and white head pattern – thickets, edges of woody areas, weedy areas, and backyards
Chipping Sparrow – red crown, white eyebrow, and black eyeline, non-breeding plumage has brownish, streaked crown and cream-colored eyebrow. Woodland and thicket edges, sometimes open grassy areas/backyards
White-Throated Sparrow – yellow lores, cream to white eyebrow, white throat. Bushy areas, undergrowth in parks and backyards.
American Tree Sparrow – central spot, red crown, gray eyebrow, and reddish eyeline. Winters in weedy fields, seen along fence lines with small trees.
Wingbar – Faint or none
- Rufous-Crowned
- Black-Throated
- Grasshopper
- Brewer’s
- Cassin’s
- Swamp
- Black-Chinned
- Clay-Colored
- Bachman’s
- Lark
Eye ring – yes, including partial
Rufous-Crowned Sparrow – rufous crow, pale malar with parallel black stripe. Rocky hillsides, brush/grass.
Black-Throated Sparrow – black throat, bold black and white face pattern. Desert/open ground.
Grasshopper Sparrow – buffy wash on chest, pale eye ring, orange spot in front of the eye. Secretive, thick grass.
Brewer’s Sparrow – small bill, long tail, grayish neck, non-descript. Open bushy areas, sagebrush.
Cassin’s Sparrow – non-descript, clear breast, may have pale streaks on sides, spotted back. Dense grass, bushy areas.
Eye ring – faint or none
Swamp Sparrow – rufous wings, black eyeline broader at the back of the head, gray above and below eye, reddish brown crown/blurry chest streaks non-breeding. Often near water, weedy, grassy, and bushy areas.
Black-Chinned Sparrow – gray with brown wings, black around face in breeding plumaged male, pink bill. Dry bushy areas, chaparral and scrub oak.
Clay-Colored Sparrow – brown ear patches with dark outline, white central crown stripe, dark mustache stripe, wingbar in spring. Open bushy areas and fields.
Bachman’s Sparrow – gray eyebrow, reddish-brownish eyeliner, streaked back, buffy wash on breast of many birds. Piney woods in open grassy areas and palmetto stands, secretive.
Lark Sparrow – distinctive red, white and black face batter, central chest spot, fan-like tail with white tipped feathers. Short grassy areas, yards, open woodlands.
