#zonotrichia

[herpsandbirds]

Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis), family Passerellidae, order Passeriformes, Argentina

Photograph by José Luis Calvo

[saritawolf]

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) - (c) SaritaWolf - please do not repost

[tbalderdash-art-blog]

Migratory May Day 2: Golden-Crowned Sparrow

Reference photo by Cameron Eckert

[best-bird-tournament]

Zonotrichia sparrow

Which is the best bird?

White-crowned sparrow

White-throated sparrow

Golden-crowned sparrow

Rufous-collared sparrow

Harris's sparrow

Voting ended onJul 27, 2025

[augustheart]

I run a sparrow appreciation lifestyle 😤👊

(In order: Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, the same Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and Song Sparrow.)

[dendroica]

Neonics Harm the Birds AND the Bees | Bird Studies Canada

The researchers found that White-crowned Sparrows exposed to a dose of the insecticide imidacloprid – a modest amount that a wild bird in an agricultural area would be likely to consume – lost weight and delayed migration longer than birds who were not exposed. These impacts could reduce a bird’s chances of surviving and reproducing.

Dr. Margaret Eng at the University of Saskatchewan was lead author on the study, working with Dr. Christy Morrissey, also at the University of Saskatchewan, and Dr. Bridget Stutchbury of York University. The team conducted its research at Long Point Bird Observatory in southern Ontario, a migratory stopover point for the sparrows. They measured the birds’ body composition before and after exposure to small doses of imidacloprid, and tracked the sparrow’s movements with Bird Studies Canada’s Motus Wildlife Tracking System.

Two treatment groups of sparrows were exposed to either a “low” or “high” dose of the insecticide. Sparrows that received the “high” dose (still a small amount) lost 6 percent of their body mass, on average, within just 6 hours. Sparrows in this group also took an extra 3.5 days, on average, to resume migration, compared to sparrows in a control group that were not exposed to imidacloprid.

“Both of these results seem to be associated with the appetite suppression effect of imidacloprid,” says Dr. Margaret Eng. “The dosed birds ate less food, and it’s likely that they delayed their flight because they needed more time to recover and regain their fuel stores.”

Neonicotinoids like imidacloprid are the most widely used group of agricultural insecticides in the world. They have been shown to have toxic effects on insects, and this study adds to growing evidence that the negative impacts extend to other organisms as well.

[snailkites]

Never-to-be-finished piece on my phone, drawn freehand during the plane ride back to the US. Sometimes, after I've completed a piece, I find myself redrawing it in spare moments. This one was based on the memory of painting my icon.

[natural-reflection]

White-Throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

Chicago, Illinois, United States, 2015 Northerly Island