Family Fringillide
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC.
This, the largest family of birds, contains some five hundred and fifty species, which are represented in all parts of the world except the Australian region. Its members present wide diversity of form and habit, but generally agree in possessing stout, conical bills, which are admirably adapted to crush seeds. They are thus chief among seed-eaters, and for this reason are not so migratory as insect-eating species.
The brown, streaked Sparrows are, to a large extent, field- or plaininhabiting, and their neutral colors are therefore a means of protection in the exposed situations they inhabit. The brighter Grosbeaks FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. and Finches are more arboreal. Many species take high rank as songsters, and some of our favorite cage-birds belong to this family. I. Under parts with red.
KEY TO THE SPECIES.
II. Under parts with no red and without distinct streaks; throat or breast sometimes with a patch or spot.
III. Under parts without red and with numerous streaks. I. Under parts with red.
A. Wing-coverts plainly tipped with white or whitish, or with a white or yellow band in the wing. a. No red in the upper parts. a¹. Back black, rump whitish, throat black, breast and under wingcoverts rosy red 595. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (8 ad.). a2. Back and under parts streaked with black; under wing-coverts rosy red 595. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (8 im.). b. Red on upper parts confined to crown or forehead, and sometimes a tinge on the rump; wing under 3.25. 61. Rump and flanks generally without blackish streaks; feathers of back generally with whitish borders. 527. GREENLAND REDPOLL. 527a. HOARY REDPOLL. 62. Rump and flanks always streaked; feathers of back with little if any white and generally with brownish borders. 528. REDPOLL and races. 63. Back cinnamon-brown, unstreaked; crown, nape, and sides of the neck black; a yellow band in the wing.
EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH. c. Red or pink spread more or less over entire upper parts; wing over 3.25. c. Tips of mandibles crossed. 522. WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL (8 ad.). ca. Bill stout; mandibles not crossed. 515. PINE GROSBEAK (8 ad.). B. Wing-coverts not tipped with white. a. Throat black or blackish; wings and tail red; body red or olive. 593. CARDINAL. b. Throat and more or less of under parts red or greenish red. 61. Plumage blood-red, brownish red, or greenish red; tips of the mandibles crossed. 521. AM. CROSSBILL 8. b. Plumage dull reddish; belly whitish; back indistinctly streaked, with bristly feathers over the nostrils. 63. Head blue; back green; rump red. 517. PURPLE FINCH (8 ad.). 601. PAINTED BUNTING (8 ad.).
II. Under parts with no red and without distinct streaks; throat or breast sometimes with a patch or spot. 1. Tail with white spots, bars, or patches.
A. Back plain, without streaks.
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. a. Throat and breast black, brown, or slate-color, sharply defined from the white belly. a1. Breast black or brown; sides rufous a2. Breast slate-color; sides the same, or brownish. 587. TOWHEE. 567. JUNCO. 567e. CAROLINA JUNCO. b. Throat and belly more or less yellow or ashy. 61. Wing over 4.00; bill stout, greenish yellow. 62. Bill small and sharp: back brown; throat yellowish. 514. EVENING GROSBEAK. 529. GOLDFINCH (2 and im.). 63. Body bright yellow, cap black c. Under parts pure white, middle of back black. 529. GOLDFINCH (8 ad.). 534. SNOWFLAKE.
B. Back streaked with black, brown, or white. a. Bend of the wing yellow; tail under 2.20. 546. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. b. Breast black or blackish; lesser wing-coverts reddish brown. 539. McCoWN'S LONGSPUR 8. c. Breast buffy; belly whitish; outer tail-feathers white, next three or four more or less white with a black band at the end; secondaries not entirely white 539. McCoWN'S LONGSPUR 9. d. Under parts entirely light brown or buffy, only two outer tailfeathers white; no yellow on the bend of the wing. 537. SMITH'S LONGSPUR. e. Under parts pure white, with a blackish spot on the center of the breast, a black stripe on the sides of the throat; sides of the crown and ear-coverts chestnut 552. LARK SPARROW. f. Wing slightly over 4.00; under parts pure white or washed with rusty; head and rump white or rusty; most of secondaries white. 2. Tail without large white spots or patches.
A. Back plain, without distinct streaks. a. Back blue, bluish, or brownish blue. 534. SNOWFLAKE. a1. Wing over 3.00: lesser wing-coverts chestnut or with broad chestnut tips 597. BLUE GROSBEAK. a2. Wing under 3.00; lesser wing-coverts blue or bluish, tipped with light brown. 598. INDIGO BUNTING. b. Back green or greenish, or rump yellow or greenish yellow. 61. Mandibles not crossed. 62. Back greenish 601. PAINTED BUNTING 9. 63. Back and under parts slaty gray; bill black. 515. PINE GROSBEAK (9 and im.). 64. Forehead, rump, under parts, and scapulars yellow or brownish yellow; secondaries white; bill yellow. c1. Mandibles crossed. c2. Wing-bars white. c3. Without white wing-bars 514. EVENING GROSEEAK 8. 522. WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 521. Aм. CROSSBILL.
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. c. Back brown or brownish, ashy, or slate-color. over 4.00 . c1. Head and rump yellowish or reddish; wing-bars white; wing 515. PINE GROSBEAK (9 and im.). ca. Under parts brownish cream-buff; wing-coverts with broad chestnut tips; wing over 3.00 597. BLUE GROSBEAK 9. cs. Under parts whitish; wing without yellow and under 3.00. 598. INDIGO BUNTING 9. c4. Back ashy; spot before the eye and on bend of wing yellow. 550. SEASIDE SPARROW.
B. Back distinctly streaked. a. Bend of the wing yellow. a1. Tail over 2.20. a2. A white throat-patch; breast gray; a yellowish line over the eye 558. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. a3. A black spot on the throat; breast yellow, or both. 604. DICKCISSEL. a4. No yellow over the eye; breast ashy or buffy; outer tailfeathers much the shortest. 575. PINE-WOODS SPARROW. 575a. BACHMAN'S SPARROW. 61. Tail under 2.20, the feathers narrow and sharply pointed. 62. Crown olive-brown, a blue-gray line through its center; cheeks and breast ochraceous-buff. 549a. NELSON'S SPARROW. 63. Crown blackish, a cream-buff line through its center. b. Bend of the wing not yellow. 546. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. 61. Crown bright reddish brown, the feathers sometimes tipped with ashy or brownish, but without black streaks. 62. No white or whitish wing-bars; outer tail-feathers much shorter than middle ones; lesser wing-coverts, upper tailcoverts, and margins of most of the tail-feathers rufous; wing under 2.50 584. SWAMP SPARROW. bs. Cheeks and throat ashy, a narrow reddish brown line from back of the eye to the nape, an indistinct black spot in the center of the breast 559. TREE SPARROW. 64. Eye-ring whitish, entire bill brownish flesh-color. 563. FIELD SPARROW. 65. Rump slaty gray; under parts generally all grayish white; forehead black, with a narrow grayish line in its middle, a narrow black line from back of the eye to the nape. 560. CHIPPING SPARROW. cl. Crown streaked or spotted with black or black and white. ca. Crown with chestnut streaks, and sometimes a slight ashy line through its center; no white or whitish wing-bars; outer tail-feathers much shorter than middle ones. 584. SWAMP SPARROW (Im.). cs. Crown with reddish brown; rump ashy; wing-bars buffy; middle tail-feathers shortest. 560. CHIPPING SPARROW (Im.). FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. c4. Center of crown white; the sides black; wing-bars white. 554. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. c5. Crown grayish; mandibles crossed 521. AM. CROSSBILL. d¹. Crown mixed grayish brown and rufous, ashy, or slate-color, without black streaks. da. Wing 2.50; bill brownish flesh-color; back rufous, streaked with black 563. FIELD SPARROW. d³. Wing 3.00; center of crown grayish brown, bordered by chestnut - rufous; back grayish brown, spotted with olivebrown. 554. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. d. Crown slate-color; a chestnut patch behind the eye; throat black P. 282. ENGLISH SPARROW 8. d5. Crown entirely dull brown; lesser wing-coverts broadly tipped with buffy P. 282. ENGLISH SPARROW 9.
III. Under parts without red and with numerous streaks. 1. Tail-feathers without white or yellow spots or patches, the outer ones little if any shorter than the middle pair.
A. Head of about the same color as the back; no yellow over the eye, or on the bend of the wing, or under wing-coverts. a. Rump yellowish or yellowish green; mandibles crossed. a. Wing-coverts tipped with white. 522, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL 9. a2. Wing-coverts not tipped with white 521. AM. CROSSBILL 9. b. Mandibles not crossed; rump brown or brownish or sandy like the back; wing under 3.25. 61. Back pale brownish ashy, streaked with brownish; a whitish streak over the eye; legs flesh-color; first primary as long or longer than the second 541. IPSWICH SPARROW. . 62. Back and most of under parts streaked with black and reddish brown; upper and under tail-coverts streaked; first primary shorter than second; outer tail-feathers shorter than middle ones. 581. SONG SPARROW. 63. Back distinctly streaked; a cream-buff band across the breast. 583. LINCOLN'S FINCH. 64. Back grayish brown, the feathers with or without distinct streaks; first primaries nearly as long or longer than second; outer tail-feathers longer than middle pair; legs and feet blackish; with bristly feathers over the nostrils. 517. PURPLE FINCH 9. 65. Back without streaks; no bristly feathers over the nostrils. 598. INDIGO BUNTING 오. c. Mandibles not crossed; upper tail-feathers and tail bright reddish brown, without black streaks; rump brighter; wing about 3.50. 585. FOX SPARROW.
B. Head of about the same color as the back; a yellow mark before the eye, or on the bend of the wing, or under wing-coverts. a. Wing about 4.00; under wing-coverts deep yellow. 595. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK 9.
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. b. Wing generally under 2.90; feathers of the crown black, bordered by chestnut-brown; a buffy line through the center of crown. 542a. SAVANNA SPARROW. c. Wing generally over 2.90; feathers of crown with small black centers bordered with cinnamon-brown and pale brownish gray. 541. IPSWICH SPARROW. 604 DICKCISSEL. . d. Wing about 3.00; breast washed with yellow e. Wing about 3.00; sides brownish; throat white, quite different from the grayish breast 558. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.
C. A bright red crown-cap; no yellow before the eye or on the bend of the wing. a. Rump and flanks always heavily streaked with blackish. 528. REDPOLL and races. b. Rump white, generally without streaks; flanks lightly streaked; more or less white in the feathers of the back. 527. GREENLAND REDPOLL. 527a. HOARY REDPOLL. 2. Tail-feathers without white or yellow patches, narrow and generally sharply pointed, the outer feathers always much shorter than the middle pair.
A. Crown of a different color from the back, or a buffy line over the eye. a. Center of crown with a more or less distinct brownish or buffy line. a¹. Nape dull, pale olive-green, of the same color as the line over the eye, but finely streaked with black; back rufous-brown, streaked with black. 547. HENSLOW'S SPARROW. a2. Nape bright rufous-brown, the feathers bordered by gray; the feathers of the back black, bordered by buffy whitish. 548. LECONTE'S SPARROW. b. Center of crown with a more or less distinct stripe of ashy blue. 61. Breast and sides distinctly streaked with black or blackish. 549. SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. 62. Breast and sides buffy or brownish, the former generally without distinct black streaks 549a. NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. 5496. ACADIAN SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. • B. Crown of the same color as the back; no buffy line over the eye. a. A yellow spot before the eye and on the. bend of wing. a¹. Upper parts very dark brown or black; the feathers edged with olive-gray or ashy, breast generally with black streaks. (Florida.) 550a. ScoTT'S SEASIDE SPARROW. 551. DUSKY SEASIDE SPARROW. a2. Back olive-gray; breast with grayish brown streaks. 550. SEASIDE SPARROw. b. No yellow before the eye; bend of the wing yellow. 575. PINE-WOODS SPARROW. 575a. BACHMAN'S SPARROW. c. No yellow before the eye or on the bend of the wing. cl. A broad cream-buff band across the breast. 583. LINCOLN'S SPARROW. ca. No cream-buff band on the breast; streaks on the breast tending to form a spot in its middle. 3. Tail with white patches or base of tail yellow. 581. SONG SPARROW.
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC.
A. Base of the tail yellow.
B. Outer tail-feathers with white patches. a. Hind toe-nail shorter than the bill from the nostril. 533. PINE SISKIN. a1. Lesser wing-coverts rufous; breast streaked with black. 540. VESPER SPARROW. a2. Sides of crown and ear-coverts chestnut; a black spot on the center of the breast. 552. LARK SPARROW. b. Hind toe-nail longer than bill from nostril. 61. Under parts cream-buff'; two outer tail-feathers mostly white. 537. SMITH'S LONGSPUR. 62. Under parts whitish; breast streaked or spotted with black or entirely black; second outer tail-feather with but little white. 536. LAPLAND LONGSPUR.
A FIELD KEY TO THE ADULT MALE FINCHES AND SPARROWS OF THE MIDDLE STATES (VIRGINIA TO MASSACHUSETTS) IN BREEDING PLUMAGE.
I. Breast with more or less yellow.
II. Breast blue.
III. Breast or throat red.
IV. Breast without either yellow, blue, or red.
I. Breast with more or less yellow.
A. Chin white, throat black; haunts grassy fields; song an unmusical effort of six or seven notes delivered with great earnestness from a low perch (rare east of the Alleghanies). 604. DICKCISSEL.
B. Under parts and breast pure yellow, crown and wings black; song a sweet canarylike warble; flight undulating, frequently accompanied by the notes chìc-o-ree, per-chìc-o-ree 529. GOLDFINCH.
II. Breast blue.
A. Length over 6.00; plumage deep blue, a chestnut bar across the wings (not found north of Virginia). 597. BLUE GROSBEAK.
B. Length under 6.00; plumage indigo-blue; haunts woody fields, scrub or second growth; song clear and musical, generally delivered from a tree-top 598. INDIGO BUNTING.
III. Breast or throat red.
A. Length 8.00; throat and region about the base of the bill black, rest of the plumage bright vermilion-red; head with a conspicuous crest; song a rich, musical whistle; call-note an insignificant cheep; haunts thickets and bushy woodland (rare north of New York city). 593. CARDINAL.
B. Length 7.50; breast rose-red; belly, tip of the tail, rump, and a band in the wings white; rest of the plumage black; haunts wooded growths; song loud, clear, and highly musical; call-note a metallic peek. 595. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.
C. Length under 6.50; plumage more or less heavily washed with dull FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. reddish; haunts orchards and wooded growths; song a liquid warble; call-note a metallic chink, frequently uttered while on the wing. 517. PURPLE FINCH.
D. Length about 6.00; plumage dull blood-red; mandibles crossed at the tips; generally found in small flocks in coniferous woods; utters a clicking or whistled note when on the wing (rarely found south of New England after May 1) 521. RED CROSSBILL..
E. Breast white, tinged with brown; region about the bill red, a yellow band in the wings (rare except in the vicinity of New York city). EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH.
IV. Breast without either yellow, red, or blue. 1. Under parts distinctly streaked or spotted.
A. Outer tail-feathers white, showing conspicuously when the bird flies; haunts dry fields and roadsides; song loud and musical. B. Outer tail-feathers not white. 540. VESPER SPARROW. a. Song loud and musical; an abundant and familiar bird of general distribution; spots on the breast tending to form one larger spot in the center; crown umber, a whitish line over the eye. 581. SONG SPARROW. b. Song not loud and musical; short and generally unattractive; haunts wet meadows or marshes; passes most of the time on the ground, rarely perching far from it, and when flushed generally returning to it. b. A buffy line over the eye and at the side of the throat, breast generally washed with buffy; haunts only salt marshes (rarely found far from the vicinity of the seashore.) 549. SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. ba. No buff on the sides of the head or breast; upper parts blackish; song tsip-tsip-tsip'sē-é-é-s'r-r-r; rarely breeds south of New York city; haunts both salt- and fresh-water marshes. 542a. SAVANNA SPARROW. 63. Back reddish, head and neck buffy olive; haunts generally wet pastures; song an inconspicuous see-wick (rather rare, living in small colonies of local distribution). 547. HENSLOW'S SPARROW. 2. Under parts not distinctly streaked or spotted.
A. Throat pure white, sharply defined from the grayish breast, a yellow spot over the eye; crown black, with a central stripe of white; haunts thickets or bushy woodlands; song a high, clear, musical whistle; call-note a sharp chink.
B. Throat and breast black. 558. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. a. Sides of the throat and belly white, crown ash, sides of the head chestnut P. 282. HoUSE SPARROW. 6. Length 8.00; sides of the body light rufous, outer tail-feathers tipped with white; haunts thickets and bushy woodlands; callnote a vigorous towhee or chee-wink 587. TOWHEE.
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC.
C. Throat and breast slate-color, like the back; belly and outer tailfeathers white; bill flesh-color (nests in the Middle States only on the higher parts of the Alleghanies) 567. JUNCO.
D. Under parts white or whitish, practically all one color. a. Haunts wet marshes. • a¹. Haunts always salt marshes, generally near the sea; back grayish 550. SEASIDE SPARROW. a2. Haunts both salt- and fresh-water marshes; back brown, streaked with black; cap and wings chestnut; song a loud, sharp, rapidly repeated weet-weet-weet, etc. 584. SWAMP SPARROW. 6. Haunts dry fields, pastures, roadsides, lawns, thickets, etc. 61. Outer tail-feathers white, middle of the breast with a small black spot (not found east of the Alleghanies). c1. Outer tail-feathers not white. 552. LARK FINCH. ca. Upper parts reddish-brown, bill pinkish flesh-color; haunts bushy fields and pastures; song a musical, plaintive cherwee, cher-wee, cher-wee, cheeo-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee. 563. FIELD SPARROW. c³. Bill dark brown, a buffy line through the center of the ground; song an insect-like pit-tuk, zee-zee-zee-zee-zee. 546. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. c4. Back streaked with black, cap chestnut, a white line over the eye, bill black; song a monotonous chippy-chippychippy, etc. 560. CHIPPING SPARROW. c5. Larger, length about 7.00; crown black, with a white central stripe; throat not noticeably different from the breast; no yellow over the eye (rare; nests north of New England). 554. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. 514. Cocothraustes vespertinus (Coop.). EVENING GROSBEAK. Ad. &.-Forehead yellow, crown black; sides of head olive-brown, becoming dull yellow on rump; belly and scapulars yellow, wings and tail black; end half of the secondaries and their coverts white. Ad. OF .-Brownish gray, lighter on the under parts, more or less tinged with yellow, especially on the nape; wings black, inner primaries white at the base, secondaries edged with white; tail black, the feathers tipped with white on the inner web; upper tail-coverts black tipped with white. L., 8.00; W., 4.50; T., 3.50; B., 72.