Prevost's Ground Sparrow vs White-eared Ground Sparrow

Prevost's Ground Sparrow

Melozone biarcuata

Small31 gShrubland

Prevost's ground sparrow is on average 15 cm long and weighs 28 g. The adult has a stubby dark-grey bill, unstreaked olive-brown upperparts, a rufous crown and mainly white underparts. Young birds are browner above, have yellower underparts, and a duller indistinct head pattern. It has a simple head pattern in which the rufous of the crown extends down the sides of the neck as a half collar behind the white face. Voice: Calls include a thin tsit or a clearer psee. The male's song, given from a hidden perch in the wet season, is a whistled pst’t’t’t peer peer peer whee whee whee.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Diego Blanco · CC0

White-eared Ground Sparrow

Melozone leucotis

Small40 gForest

The white-eared ground sparrow is about 18 cm (7.1 in) long and weighs about 42 g (1.5 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a mostly black head with white patches in front of the eye and on the ear coverts, a broken white eye-ring, a large yellow patch behind the ear coverts and on the sides of the neck, and a thin yellow line above the last. Their mantle is gray-brown and the rest of their upperparts, wings, and tail are olive-green. Their throat is black and a large black patch in the center of the breast sometimes connects to it. Voice: In Costa Rica the male white-eared ground sparrow's song "begins slowly, then quickly accelerates into a profusion of loud, high notes". They usually have a repertoire of up to eight song variations. Pairs sometimes sing in duet. Both sexes make chip and seet calls. Males sing solo only during the breeding season; duets and calls are made year-round.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: ChrisMcV · CC0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Prevost's Ground Sparrow and White-eared Ground Sparrow.