Song Sparrows Imitating Towhees

[Mike Chace-Ortiz]

Evening All

Over the past year or so I’ve noticed two distinctly different Song Sparrow songs, one of which is very to our Eastern Towhee.

I’ve also noted that the Towhee imitators are not Song Sparrows that stay over winter with us.

Perhaps our ornithologists have some idea as to why this is the case. Do the Song Sparrows over winter and grow up around Towhees?

Here’s a recording I made earlier this week.

Cheers

—mco

[Scott Richardson]

Mike,

I’d speculate it’s simply a coincidence that this song sparrow song is similar, in part, to a towhee’s. Both species have a varied repertoire with patterns that overlap, so it wouldn’t surprise me that sometimes one would sound quite a bit like the other. Good ear, regardless.

Not an ornithologist,

Scott

On May 14, 2024, at 20:36, Mike Chace-Ortiz <mchac...@gmail.com> wrote:

Evening All

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[MCO]

Thanks Scott - I've heard more than one with this characteristic, which was part of my reason for raising the issue, and that our year-round resident Song Sparrows all have a "regular" song.

Appreciate the feedback!

--mco