Required fields are marked *. A dark smudge in the center of the unstreaked … Here is a sparrow with an obvious dark central spot on the breast, so it must be a Tree Sparrow, right? Your email address will not be published. David — The dark central breast spot is due to more than simply shadow; most birds have dark down that can show through with the breast feathers held in a certain manner. Here is a sparrow with an obvious dark central spot on the breast, so it must be a Tree Sparrow, right? Your email address will not be published. But you may notice some red flags: the black bill, thin blackish eyeline, pinkish legs, pale gray-white flanks, etc all look more like a Chipping Sparrow. Aside from the dark breast spot, things that distinguish Chipping from American Tree Sparrow are: Jerry Tang’s photos http://tangsphoto.photoshelter.com, Sergey Yeliseev’s Flickr photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/yeliseev/with/2901875212/, Eric Bégin’s Flickr photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericbegin/with/377147271/, Ah, yes, I’ve been fooled by this before. You can see it clearly in the two European Tree Sparrows below. Thanks for explaining so clearly how the arrangement of feathers creates the little dimple. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. For example, American Tree Sparrows show a spot, Chipping Sparrows don’t. You can see more of his photos at http://tangsphoto.photoshelter.com. In the case of the mystery sparrow above it’s a little more extreme, but I believe that the apparent dark breast spot shown by this sparrow is entirely the result of shadow, and this is a perfectly normal and typical Chipping Sparrow. For example, American Tree Sparrows show a spot, Chipping Sparrows don’t. Not all streaky brown birds are impossible to identify: Take a closer look at this one and you’ll see an understated but distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow spot before the eye. The feathers that we call the breast (which really grow from the front of the neck) form a solid “shield” on the front of the body. Thanks for indepth explanation!! Also, might this area be slower to dry if the bird has been bathing or wetted? Thanks to Jerry Tang for the photo and for bringing it to my attention. Can you identify the sparrow shown in this photo? This forms a “seam” where feathers meet along the midline, and at any time of year it’s possible to see a slight crease along the center of the belly of any songbird. Yes, I’ve noticed these “feather dimples” before; they are most evident on plain-breasted birds, of cours. Below that, what we call the belly feathers actually grow from the sides of the body inwards. Fascinating. The explanation is simple, and is a basic fact of the feather arrangements of all songbirds. The dark central breast spot shown by some species of sparrows is a simple and reliable, maybe even foolproof, field mark. A rusty cap and rusty (not black) eyeline on a gray head, a streaked brown back, and a smooth gray to buff breast in both male and female American Tree Sparrows give an overall impression of reddish-brown and gray. What else could cause that mark?”. In a case such as the Chipping Sparrow photo above, the bird is so obviously a Chipping Sparrow that, seeing the “spot,” one would have to ask, “It’s probably not a spot. It’s still a very useful clue to identification, but it’s always worth taking the extra time to double-check a few other features. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America: Second Edition, The Sibley Guide to Birds - Second Edition, The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America: Second Edition, On identifying Chipping and Clay-colored Sparrows, Sibley Guide in action – Redpoll Identification, New Product – A ten pack of greeting cards with art and text from my newest book, Scarlet Tanagers are bright red – but this one is yellow, A Cerulean-like song variant of Black-throated Blue Warbler, Exhibit of original art from "What it's like to be a bird" - Canton, MA, uniform gray-white underparts on Chipping (vs. rusty smudge at shoulder and orange-brown flanks on Tree), blackish line through eye (vs rusty-brown on Tree), all black bill in summer, pinkish with dark culmen and tip in winter (vs. always bicolored black above and yellow below), eyebrow whitish, paler than cheeks (vs. eyebrow gray, about the same color as cheeks), smaller size with more delicate head and bill. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America, and while sometimes overlooked, are likely visitors across the continent. Learn how your comment data is processed. Read on for the discussion and answer below. If so, it might look darker for a little while as it dries. What’s going on?! The dark central breast spot shown by some species of sparrows is a simple and reliable, maybe even foolproof, field mark. The dark breast spot of American Tree Sparrow is created by pigmented feathers (not shadow) so it will look a little different. ~karen. The belly is unfeathered (an adaptation that allows incubating birds to part their feathers and put their skin in direct contact with the eggs for warmth) so it has to be covered by feathers growing from the sides. I have shown a few birders this fact with birds in the hand; they’re always surprised. Often there is an obvious dimple where the feathers from both sides meet at the lower edge of the breast. If you are able to watch the bird in question move, the “dimple” will change as the bird’s feathers move, and as the light changes.