White-eared Ground Sparrow vs White-throated Towhee

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

White-throated Towhee

Melozone albicollis

Small46 gShrubland

The white-throated towhee is a large sparrow with a long tail, 18.5 to 22.5 cm (7.3 to 8.9 in) long and weighing 42 to 50 g (1.5 to 1.8 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a brown crown and nape. They have a white supercilium to the eye, some whitish below the eye, and a blackish stripe on the cheek. The rest of their face is brown above and chestnut below. Their upperparts and tail are brown. Their wing is mostly brown with white on the median coverts that shows as two wing bars. Their chin is white and their throat rusty cinnamon with white under it. Voice: The white-throated towhee's song is described as "very high warbling...strident in places, accelerating and rising in pitch in phrases includes --pirrup-pirrup-pirrup--". Another description is "a series of chipping notes with one or more introductory notes, chik chik tchu-chu-chu-chu chi-i-ir". Its call is "a slurred metallic churenk".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: datadan · CC BY 4.0

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