There are 24 species of sparrows in the Pacific Northwest. Included in this group are many melodious superstars whose songs burst forth from most habitats in our area. Sparrows such as the dark-eyed junco, spotted towhee, song sparrow, white-crowned, and golden-crowned sparrows are frequent visitors to feeders and bird baths, especially in fall and winter. They are mainly grain and seed eaters, but they will also dine on fruit and insects.

The Lincoln’s sparrow is among the melodious superstars of the Northwest. Its call is sweet and bubbly. While looking at your ground-feeding birds if you see one that skitters like a mouse, darting out for a seed or two and then creeping back under cover, most likely you are seeing a Lincoln’s sparrow. Its most distinctive markings are very fine brown lines on its light buff breast. At times it appears to be wearing a crown. It is as if the wind fluffed up the head feathers to make a crown-like point. To me, the Lincoln’s sparrow seems more delicate and gentle in appearance compared to other sparrow species.

As far as I know, there is only one nesting record for the Lincoln’s on the Long Beach Peninsula. It occurred at the Tarlatt Unit of the WNWR a few years ago. It is somewhat rare in our area, but overall in Pacific County it is considered uncommon. Keep an eye out for the Lincoln’s whenever you are birding near weedy fields or brushy areas.

Another of the melodious sparrows is the song sparrow. There are about 12 subspecies of this bird in the Northwest. They exhibit color variations from dark to light. The lightest being located in the interior areas. The song sparrow, like many nesting birds, sings its heart out with musical whistles and trills during the spring and summer. According to some bird experts they are so effusive that very young fledglings will often burst into song. Song sparrows are common throughout the Long Beach Peninsula. Their habitat includes gardens, brushy areas near water, hedgerows, berry patches, and marshes.

Two species of our sparrows can be distinguished easily by the colors of their crown. White-crowned sparrows have a distinctive zebra-striped head pattern and pink bill. They have already begun to make their presence felt at our feeders, and by singing their hearts out from perches such as a fence post or the top of a garden plant such as a bush, tall flower or even a small tree. Even though their song tends to be variable, generally speaking it consists of two whistles, followed by chew, chew, chew and a trill.

The golden-crown’s head stripe is mainly a dingy yellow and brown for much of the time we see it, but beginning in February, its crown becomes a brilliant yellow and jet black. Very showy, indeed! If we are lucky we may even hear its song which is a series of descending whistles.

Both the white-crowned and the golden-crowned tend to be common in our area, so generally, they are certain to be seen. It is easy to guess which one you are seeing by the color of its crown! Golden-crowned sparrows have now left the Peninsula for their breeding grounds, but they will return in the fall.

Sparrows tend to be well camouflaged so they may seem like rather drab birds. In reality, however, they are quite beautifully dressed in browns and black with other complimentary colors in small bits. These additional hues are mainly worn by male birds. Other species belonging to the sparrow family, like the dark-eyed junco and the spotted towhee are also melodious superstars, but they and their antics are the subject of another story!

”Common Birds of the Long Beach Peninsula,” by Kalbach and Stauffer, is available from the Chinook Observer, Bay Avenue Gallery, Time Enough Books and the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau.