He sort of looks like a Black Throated Sparrow, but he doesn't have the white stripes on his head.
Since my ungrateful hummingbirds have deserted me, I guess I'll be spying on this pair. We were all hoping the owls would come back and make babies, but they've been gone for a couple of years.
Jim is doing better today, and seems to have recovered from the over doing it in the gym on Friday.
Those are house sparrows nesting in your palms. They're an invasive species native to England. They are detrimental to our native bluebirds and tree swallows. Like the bluebirds and tree swallows, they are cavity nesters, and will kill the other species to get a nesting cavity.
ReplyDeleteI agree-house sparrows. In a bird guide, you won't find them with the other sparrows. They are in a section (mine is near the end of the book) called Finches and Old World Sparrows.
ReplyDeleteWell, they have done an excellent job of colonizing Tucson - they're everywhere. Thank you for the identification. Maybe our local hawk can do something about this.
ReplyDeleteYes, they are invasive and tend to take over urban and suburban areas -- even rural areas when they find bluebird boxes. They kick birds out of the boxes and remove the eggs and/or nestlings. Awful creatures, really, though they are cute.
DeleteIn the UK....Olde World...I like that, we have the Tree Sparrow which has white stripes on its head as in your bottom picture and the House Sparrow which doesnt have the white stripes. However they can interbreed?
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