Can You Say Song Sparrow 3 Times Fast?
Kids…moms, dads, with the spring season gaining strength in the north country, there is a bird you should look for.
Say song sparrow three times if you like tongue twisters.
Most important, to look for it…you will need to go outside to find it. That’s the first good thing.
The second is actually seeing it.
Some advice for you-wait. When I sat down in the place where the photo was taken a song sparrow sang. I never saw it. But 30 minutes later it perched on this branch…right in front of the camera. Searching for birds can teach us patience. Notice the streaks of brown feathers?
There is a great chance you can see one. It is estimated that over 130 million song sparrows live on the North American continent! For comparison, consider this information about a large city in the United States-New York City is home to just over 8 million people!
Look for it…Song Sparrows are like their name tells us-sparrows. Look at the photos, they will help. Remember the sparrows have lots of brown. The song sparrow has mostly brown streaks with light gray feathers on its front. There is a small brown dot below its bill.
Just a moment my friends…someone is thinking… “It’s just a sparrow! Why get excited about a sparrow?”
I am sure you are thinking that…really, you should find a song sparrow near you-ASAP. Kids…that means “as soon as possible.”
Can you see the dark brown spot below the bird’s bill? Song sparrows have this as a consistent identification mark.
Reasons to find a song sparrow to look at and listen to:
+They can live everywhere in North America! From marshes at the edge of the ocean to the Arctic…and everywhere in between. You might even find one near your house! These are birds that adapt! They win a trophy for being “MOST ADJUSTABLE BIRD!”
+They eat insects and seeds…but what they eat depends on where they live. They win a second trophy for “LEAST FUSSY EATER!”
+ We can find their nests on the ground and in trees. They even nest near our house, or in flower beds. The male and female choose the nest sight together. The song sparrow wins a third trophy for “NESTING TEAMWORK!”
+A song sparrow male can sing from 24-38 variations of the song sparrow call. Wow! Song sparrows are true to their name-they sing! A lot! The song sparrow wins trophy number four, “MUSICAL!”
It’s your turn kids and mom and dad…can you find another reason for song sparrow trophy number FIVE?
I am sure you can…please accept my invitation…go outside to find your neighborhood song sparrow. Would you let me know what reason you have to give the song sparrow TROPHY FIVE? I’m interested.
This photo is not as good as the other two…however, the dark spot on its front is clear…and it was singing! Why does it look scruffy? It was cold…it had its feathers fluffed to keep warm…the air temperature was around 38 degrees F. Cold…but still it sang! Wow!