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Bird Watching: Daily Pictures, Volume 102, 1 by Mrs_Ed

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In reply to: Daily Pictures, Volume 102

Forum: Bird Watching

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Photo of Daily Pictures, Volume 102
Mrs_Ed wrote:
So, I went looking for info on they White-Throated Sparrow, and found this info on Cornell:
Quoting:#

The White-throated Sparrow comes in two color forms: white-crowned and tan-crowned. Tan-crowned birds have dull whitish or light tan head stripes, and more brownish chests that usually contain some streaking. In the spring when the sparrow is most brightly colored, most individuals are easily assigned to a color morph. In fall, the morphs are more similar and many birds appear intermediate between the two.

# The two color forms of the White-throated Sparrow are determined by genetic differences, and are unique among birds. Oddly, individuals almost always mate with a bird of the opposite morph. Males of both color types prefer females with white stripes, but both kinds of females prefer tan-striped males. White-striped birds are more aggressive than tan-striped ones, and white-striped females may be able to outcompete their tan-striped sisters for tan-striped males.


And so here is the tan form.