Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

White-throated Sparrow [ventral view of black-and-white morph adult]. Photograph Credit: Stephen J. Stedman; Putnam County, Tennessee; 26 December 2011.

Abundance: Common during late fall, winter, and spring; Occasional during summer; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts reveal a stable trend in the population wintering in the Region (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Winter Resident; Occasional Visitor during summer (2 records; see also Out-of-Season (Summer) Records [below]); photograph (see above); photograph [lateral view of individual of the brown-and-tan morph] (Stephen J. Stedman; City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee; 9 December 2011); photograph [ventral view of leucistic individual] (Stephen J. Stedman; Martin Creek Rd., Putnam County, Tennessee; 14 April 2003).

Regional High Count and CBC/CBB High Count: 547 (23 December 2011; DeKalb County, Tennessee [CBC]; m. ob.); SBC/SBB High Count: 112 (24 April 1976; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.).

Out-of-Season (Summer) Records:

19 May–1 July 1994 (1) yard on Lakeland Drive adjacent to City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman, Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman 2006–2015).

8–20 July & 8–9, 13, 15 August 2007 (1— brown-and-tan morph) yard on Lakeland Drive adjacent to City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman 2006–2015). 

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Fall: x (

    Late Spring: x (

Note: Fall arrival usually widespread by 15 October; spring departure usually complete by 10 May. Regional dates of earliest reported fall arrival and latest reported spring departure during winters from 2002–2003 to 2011–2012 follow:

* See also Out-of-Season (Summer) Records (above).

Habitat: x

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 54 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 99 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, resulting in a YardWatch frequency classification of Common during each year; this YardWatch frequency classification is consistent with the overall Regional abundance classification.

Remarks: The White-throat appears in two distinct morphs, and the morph of each individual is independent of the age and sex of that individual. One White-throat morph displays white-and-black head stripes (see photograph above); the other morph displays brown-and-tan head stripes (access a photograph via a link under Status above).  Pair formation is considerably affected by the morphs of the individuals of the pair; few pairs form with both male and female belonging to the same morph.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited