Spiffy Sparrows

Sparrows can be tough to identify! Here are some commonly seen sparrows in the Okanagan and Similkameen with a few of their ID notes along with them. TO learn more about birding and identifying birds, take a look at our Beginner Birding webinar series on Youtube!

Unless noted, all photos are from the public domain, originally taken by Alan Schmierer

White-crowned Sparrows migrate through the Okanagan and Similkameen in the spring and fall and can be easily identified by their plain breast and vivid black-and-white head stripes

Chipping Sparrows breed in the Okanagan and Simlkameen and can be distinguished by their rusty brown crown and black line through the eye. The breast has no streaking.

Song Sparrows are one of the few permanent resident sparrows of this area. They have a dark brown cap and the whiteish breast is heavily streaked with rich brown. (Photo by Alex Bodden via iNaturalist; CC BY-NC 4.0)

Savannah Sparrows spend the summers in the Okanagan and Similkameen to breed and have a unique yellow patch in front of/between their eyes. A small few can occasionally be found overwintering here.

Lincoln's Sparrows breed here in the summer and have straightish, well-defined dark streaks on a pale yellow-tan breast patch. Brown streaks on the head are also apparent.

Brewer's Sparrows are distinctive in their total plain-ness. Mostly grey all over with only the subtlest of streaks and wing pattern, they can be found in the Okanagan and Similkameen in the peak of the summer, mostly in June and July