Breeding Adult Cheeks, supercilium, and nape light gray. Complete or mostly complete black crown. Black extends into malar, supraloral and lores. Non-breeding Adult Black throat marking it as an adult. Black crown is edged in white, the cheeks and nape brown, malar, supraloral and lores mostly brown Immature / First Winter Average less black in the crown than non-breeding adults and a contrasting pale throat with small amounts of variable black flicking. Variable brown to the bib and neck border. Shape Profile: One of our largest Sparrows. Bulky chests with large squared heads typical of the genus. Medium long, slightly rounded tails. Head Profile: Large thick based bright orange bill. Large somewhat flat-topped squared head Non – breeding: Cheeks and supercilium brown, non-contrasting in color to each other. Eyestripe rusty orange, thin, and ending in a sideways chevron shape that runs parallel with the nape. Malar slightly lighter brown than cheek. Contrasting black throat.
A work in progress