WHITE-THROAT SPARROW STANDS OUT IN ITS APPEARANCE AND ITS SONG

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 5, 1992                   TAG: 9201010206
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Patricia Held
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
WHITE-THROAT SPARROW STANDS OUT IN ITS APPEARANCE AND ITS SONG
At a party a couple of weeks ago one of the guests asked me if I knew what kind of birds were perching in his backyard bushes. His description was simple: They were "small brown birds."
While there are lots of small brown birds in Western Virginia, what he was probably describing was a sparrow.
For most of us, sparrows are nondescript. There are many sparrow species in our area, but many of them look alike. The white-throated sparrow seems to stand out among all of the other sparrows.
Like its cousins, the white-throat is a mottled brown and white color. The adult has a rich brown upper body and wings marked with two white bars. Its black crown is divided by a narrow white line and another white line runs through each eye. Just in front of each eye is a bright spot of yellow. Its gray throat and breast is set off by a white bib, and its belly is pure white. Its prominent throat patch and yellow eye markings are the two tell-tale characteristics that distinguish this bird from the other sparrows.
There is one sparrow that can be confused with the white-throat. This is the white-crowned sparrow. But the crown stripe is narrow in contrast to the broad stripe of the white-crowned species and this bird lacks the yellow facial markings.
Long before you may see a white-throat, its calls gives it away. I have heard its song described as the sweetest and clearest of sounds found in the woodlands. Its notes are pure, clear, whistling tones that are loud and carry a distance.
A good way to remember the song of a bird is to relate it to words and sounds. The white-throated sparrow's call is often described as: "Old Sam Peabody Peabody Peabody." But I think that the best description of this sparrow's call is "Oooh-teeee, whey whey whey whey."
Listen the next time you hear its call. This bird really gets involved in its music. As if preparing for the performance of a lifetime, this little entertainer throws its head back to reveal its pure white throat and sings its song loud and clear.
The white-throat is a seasonal visitor and just winters in our area. The bird nests in the northern forests and high mountain summits. It breeds from Canada to Wisconsin, Michigan and New England.
We usually see and hear these birds in brushy areas and local woodlands. During the cold months every hedgerow and thicket seems to be filled with these birds.
The best way to attract white-throats to your garden is to set out a feeder. They prefer to eat from a tray feeder or directly on the ground. Be sure that the feeding area is close to cover. Use cracked corn, millet and hulled sunflower seeds at your feeder and you are almost guaranteed a visit from a flock of these lovely birds.
Patricia Held will respond to readers' questions on the plant and animal wildlife in the region. Mail inquiries to: Patricia Held, P.O. Box 65, Goode, Va. 24556.
\ AUTHOR Patricia Held is the former director of the Nature Center Museum in Middletown, N.J. She lives in Bedford County.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB