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To the Beauty of Birds

The Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii, is a medium-sized sparrow.

Adults have dark-streaked olive-brown upperparts with a light brown breast with fine streaks, a white belly, and a white throat. They have a brown cap with a grey stripe in the middle, olive-brown wings, and a narrow tail. Their face is grey with brown cheeks, a brown line through the eye, and an eye ring. They are somewhat similar in appearance to the Song Sparrow.

Their breeding habitat is wet thickets or shrubby bogs across Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern and western United States; this bird is less common in the eastern parts of its range. The nest is a well-concealed shallow open cup on the ground under vegetation.

They forage on the ground in dense vegetation, mainly eating insects and seeds.

They are very secretive. Their song is a musical trill, but this bird is often not seen or heard even where they are common.

This bird was named by Audubon after his friend, Thomas Lincoln, of Dennysville, Maine. Lincoln shot the bird on a trip with Audubon to Nova Scotia in 1834, and Audubon named it "Tom's Finch" in his honor.

Wikipedia

The first 3 photos were photographed at the Silver Saddle Resort, California City, CA (see Magnolia Warbler for details). Mark Scheel of the Pasadena Audubon Society provided the identification. It has more creamy buff above the eye and one the nape of the neck than other streaked sparrows. It also has not dark spot on the breast.The last two were photographed at Metro Parks, OH.

LIncoln Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow 4715

Lincoln's Sparrow 4716

Lincoln's Sparrow 4706

Lincoln Sparrow 2221

Lincoln Sparrow 2220