Birds of Kentucky: House Sparrow
2023-01-21 - Central Kentucky - Photo by Pen
All About Birds says that "house sparrows in flocks have a pecking order much the way chickens in a farmyard do. You can begin to decipher the standings by paying attention to the black throats of the males. Males with larger patches of black tend to be older and dominant over males with less black. By wearing this information on their feathers, sparrows can avoid some fights and thereby save energy." I think that puts this bird pretty low on the local totem pole. Comments | Permalink
2023-01-21 - Central Kentucky - Photo by Pen
All About Birds says that "house sparrows in flocks have a pecking order much the way chickens in a farmyard do. You can begin to decipher the standings by paying attention to the black throats of the males. Males with larger patches of black tend to be older and dominant over males with less black. By wearing this information on their feathers, sparrows can avoid some fights and thereby save energy." I think that puts this bird pretty low on the local totem pole. Comments | Permalink