Song Sparrow Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesSong Sparrow
Species Spotlight
Meet the Song Sparrow! This quick 2-minute introduction presents all the basic information you need to know about this common North American bird, from identification to foods, nesting behavior, range, and more.
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology / Macaulay LibraryAdult
Medium-sized sparrow with rounded head and long, rounded tail. Coarse streaks on breast converge into a central spot. Russet stripes on crown and through eye. Broad malar or mustache stripe.
© Jonathan Irons / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, October 25, 2018Adult
Song Sparrows in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico have rusty streaking and are small and pale.
© Sean Fitzgerald / Macaulay LibraryArizona, February 09, 2018Adult (Eastern)
Songs vary regionally but usually begin with a few loud well-spaced chip notes followed by trills or buzzes.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, June 03, 2015Adult
Medium-sized sparrow with rounded head and long tail. Face is grayish with russet stripes on crown and through eye. Heavy streaks on breast.
© Cameron Eckert / Macaulay LibraryAlaska, March 16, 2017Adult
Song Sparrows from the Aleutian Islands are larger than other forms, with grayish bodies and heavy dark brown streaking.
© Steven Mlodinow / Macaulay LibraryAlaska, May 29, 2008Adult (California coast)
Songs vary regionally but usually begin with a few loud well-spaced chip notes followed by trills or buzzes.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 25, 2013Adult
Medium-sized sparrow with rounded head and long tail. Individuals on the California coast are darker and grayer overall, with heavy streaking.
© Anonymous / Macaulay LibraryCaliforniaAdult
Medium-sized sparrow with long, rounded tail. Many individuals in the Pacific Northwest are dark brown and gray with heavy streaking on breast.
© Steven Mlodinow / Macaulay LibraryWashington, October 24, 2014Adult (Eastern) and juveniles
Sometimes forages on the ground by hopping forward and scratching the leaf litter with both feet to uncover insects.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryMaine, June 21, 2013Adult
Song Sparrows vary across North America. They typically have grayish faces and reddish brown markings that can be warm in color. Note thick, triangular mustache or malar stripe.
© Steven Mlodinow / Macaulay LibraryWashington, December 28, 2010Juvenile
Juvenile is generally drabber and buffier than adult, with less distinct stripes on the head.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, September 19, 2019Adult (Eastern)
Diet consists mostly of insects during the summer, and switches to mostly seeds and fruits in the winter.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 01, 2004Adult
Medium-sized sparrow with long tail without a notch. Back is grayish streaked with brown; wings and tail are russet brown.
© Ian Hearn / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, May 13, 2017Habitat
One of the most widespread and common sparrows in North America. Found in brushy edges, often but not always near water.
© Ian Hearn / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, January 01, 2017Similar SpeciesSavannah Sparrow
Adult (Savannah)
Savannah Sparrows have shorter, notched tails and smaller bills than Song Sparrows. They also have crisper streaking and usually show yellow in the stripe over the eye.
© Kirk Swenson / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, November 11, 2016Similar SpeciesSavannah Sparrow
Adult (Belding's)
Some Savannah Sparrows in saltmarshes of the Pacific Coast have thick, dark streaking similar to a Song Sparrow, but they still show the yellowish eyebrow stripe that Song Sparrows lack.
© Greg Gillson / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 30, 2014Similar SpeciesLincoln's Sparrow
Adult/immature
Lincoln's Sparrows have a buffy wash on the breast, a pale eyering, and finer streaking on the chest than Song Sparrows.
© Larry Therrien / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, September 30, 2016Similar SpeciesFox Sparrow
Adult (Red)
Fox Sparrows are larger and bulkier than Song Sparrows. They have blotchy, heavily streaked plumage, often with very reddish-brown tones.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryRhode Island, February 11, 2017Similar SpeciesFox Sparrow
Adult (Sooty)
Fox Sparrows are larger and bulkier than Song Sparrows. They vary across North America, but typically have blotchy plumage without the Song Sparrow's neat stripes on the head. The bill is usually yellowish.
© Joshua Rudolph / Macaulay LibraryWashington, March 04, 2017Similar SpeciesVesper Sparrow
Adult/immature
Vesper Sparrows have a shorter tail and smaller bill than Song Sparrow. They lack the strong head pattern of Song Sparrows, with a white eyering instead of Song's thick eyebrow and malar (mustache) stripes.
© John Reynolds / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, September 04, 2016Search species and articles
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