Female Sparrow (Emberizidae) Seen In Pedro Bay

Verna Kolyaha writes,

Saw what looked like a female sparrow in Pedro Bay, in the middle of January. It was at the bird feeder with the chickadees. I waited with a camera for a while but didn't see it again.

LEO says:

According to the Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), Alaska is home to fifty-one species of bird that belong to the sparrow and warbler family (Emberizidae). The eleven species from this family that are identified as "sparrows" include fox sparrows, white-crowned sparrows, golden-crowned sparrows, song sparrows, American tree sparrows, chipping sparrows, Lincoln's sparrows, and savannah sparrows. Detailed descriptions of these sparrow species can be found in the ADFG Wildlife Notebook Series entry on Sparrows.

Since sparrows are often quick, and difficult to capture on camera, an easier way to identify a sparrow species is through its song. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has online recordings of bird songs. To begin exploring the variety of songs, listen to the gold-crowned sparrow song here.

Although sparrows are migratory birds, some have been seen in Alaska year-round. ADFG notes that white-crowned and tree sparrows have been reported in Fairbanks in December, and song sparrows of the Aleutian Islands and Southeast Alaska are year-round residents.

Resources:

Pictured below is a map of the North American Bird Conservation Institute (NABCI) bird conservation regions. These conservation regions are designed to support bird populations through local, national, and international conservation partnerships. White-crowned, American tree and fox-sparrows are included in the Region 4 - Northwestern Interior Forest conservation region, which includes parts of Alaska and Canada. Read more about the NABCI and the Bird Conservation Regions.

Online Checklist E-bird is a great place to submit observations of birds you have seen around Alaska. These observations also help scientists at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the National Audubon Society monitor bird population trends. If you’re really stumped about a bird that you’ve seen, check your area on e-bird and find out when and where similar birds were recorded.

The Migratory Bird Data Center, is a cooperative effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS, and the Patuxent center. These organizations support the North American Breeding Bird Survey, which tracks trends in North American bird populations. Find more information about joining the survey team here.