Harbinger of Cooler Weather

We had a White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) in our backyard yesterday. They are a winter resident in Georgia, spending the spring and summer in Canada and fall and winter in the Eastern US. They always arrive every year right before a very cold weather and this year was no exception. It was 37 degrees out this morning!

Unlike most sparrows, the White-throated Sparrow is easy to identify. It has a white throat as its name implies, as well as a white eyebrow-stripe with a dot of yellow at the bill.

They also have one of my favorite bird songs. They sound just like a human whistling. To hear their song see this link. Some say it sounds like they are singing "Oh Sweet Canada Canada Canada".



To learn more about the White-throated Sparrow see this link.