About the Vesper Sparrow
The vesper sparrow is a medium-sized New World sparrow. The only member of the genus Pooecetes, it is a pale sparrow with brown streaks that breeds across the grasslands of northern North America. It migrates to winter in the southern United States and Mexico.
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ID tip
The vesper sparrow is 14–16 cm (5.5–6.3 in) in overall length and weighs 19.5–28.3 g (0.69–1.00 oz). Adults have light brown upper-parts and light under-parts, both with darker streaking. There are three features that are unique to the vesper sparrow. The first is the presence of a small, white ring surrounding the eyes. The second is the flash of white tail feathers seen during flight. The third is the presence of a chestnut patch on the shoulder. However, this is usually not visible to an observer.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Vesper Sparrow sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Bahamas, Cayman Islands, St. Pierre & Miquelon.
When to see it
Peak activity in May · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Lark SparrowChondestes grammacusThe lark sparrow is distinctive.
Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallidaThe clay-colored sparrow or clay-coloured sparrow is a small New World sparrow of North America.
Abert's TowheeMelozone abertiAbert's towhee is a bird of the family Passerellidae, native to a small range in southwestern North America, generally the lower Colorado River and Gila River watersheds, nearly endemic to Arizona, but also present in small parts of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Sonora in Mexico.
Side by side: Lark Sparrow vs Vesper Sparrow
Learn the Vesper Sparrow for real
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