White-throated Sparrow -- South Dakota Birds
| Length: 7 inches | Wingspan: 9.5 inches | Seasonality: Migrant |
| ID Keys: White throat, black and white (or tan) stripes on head, 2 white wing bars. | ||
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
The White-throated Sparrow can have head stripes of either white (see top photo) or tan (see bottom photo) alternating with black Curiously, White-throated Sparrows nearly always mate with opposite sex members of the alternate color morph. Other curious differences occur between the color morphs: 1) White-striped females sing, but tan-striped females do not, 2) white-striped males are generally more aggressive and do more singing than tan-striped males, and 3) tan-striped male and white-striped female pairs tend to bond more quickly than the opposite combination.
Habitat: Woodlands, forest edges, residential areas, shelterbelts.
Diet: Primarily insects during the summer, seeds and berries in the fall and winter. Will attend bird feeders for commonly offered seeds.
Breeding: Non-breeder in South Dakota.
Song: White-throated Sparrow Song, also White-throated Sparrow Call
Migrations: Summers in New England, the Great Lakes Region, and much of Canada. Winters in the southeastern third of the United States and points south.
Feeders: A variety of seeds and grains.
Similar Species: White-crowned Sparrow
Status: Generally stable throughout its range.
Further Information:
1)
USGS Patuxent
Bird Identification InfoCenter, White-throated Sparrow
2) Cornell Lab of Ornithology - White-throated Sparrow
3) eNature.com - White-throated Sparrow
Photo Information: Both Photos: April 28th, 2003 -- Newton Hills State Park -- Terry Sohl
Additional Photos: Click on the image chips or text links below for additional, higher-resolution White-throated Sparrow photos.
| Additional White-throated Sparrow Photos | |||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| White-throated Sparrow 1 | White-throated Sparrow 2 | White-throated Sparrow 3 | White-throated Sparrow 4 |

Proud Member Of:
Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl
This page was last edited on 02/03/08