How about a house sparrow.

Nope its a chipping sparrow.You can tell by the red crest. I have a picture and a link. They are regulars at my feeder too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chipping Sparrow

Maybe it hit a window?

Hi,
I found the chipping sparrow in my field guide and it looks identical plus the link that Eric provided was the same.
I see these guys at my feeder in the dead of winter and the field guide says they only summer here. It doesn't matter how brutal the winter is here they stay the whole year outside unless the Ramada is putting them up, ha ha.
thanks everyone

Another possibility is the American Tree Sparrow which looks a lot like the Chipping Sparrow but has a breast spot. Where are you located?

From the All About Birds site:

"The easiest species to confuse with American Tree Sparrow is Chipping Sparrow, but their ranges don't overlap much in winter (the only time most people are likely to see American Tree Sparrows). If you are north of roughly Kansas in the winter, American Tree Sparrows are much more likely than Chipping Sparrows; south of this line Chipping Sparrows are more common. In winter, Chipping Sparrows have a less rufous (reddish-brown) cap than American Tree Sparrows. Look for a black line through the eyes of Chipping Sparrows; in American Tree Sparrows that line is rufous, the same color as its crown. Look for American Tree SparrowâÂÂs distinctly bicolored bill - dark on top, yellowish below. Chipping Sparrow's bill is often dark or pinkish. Song Sparrows are heavily streaked on the breast, whereas American Tree Sparrow has a plain breast, sometimes with a single dark spot. Field Sparrows have a pink bill and a white ring around the eye. Lark Sparrows have a much more complex head pattern including rufous on the cheeks."

The tree sparrow is a winter bird in many regions where the chipping sparrow doesn't winter over. Here in southeastern MA I see tree sparrows all winter long but no chipping sparrows.

This one was seen in January a few years ago in Plymouth, MA:

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Mon, May 6, 13 at 10:23

Hi,
I checked the bill on the bird and it completely light black top and bottom. I live in Allegheny mountains just east of West Virginia. Lots of cereal grains are grown here and of course as there are feeders here for them too. My field guide say the chipping sparrow only summers here but I think otherwise. This by far is the most common bird I see here in the winter.
Just a side note about sparrows, I remember years ago reading in the newspaper that people would feed sparrows french fries around the tourist section of Annapolis and they got too fat and became too heavy for takeoff !

Sounds like a chipping sparrow all right. I checked eBird for the range of Dec. to Feb, 2012-2013 in West Virginia and there are a number of reports in the Allegheny Mountains.

Edit note: the direct link to that time range and location didn't last. You'll have to re-enter it.

I also looked at the Birds of North America Online site (subscription needed) and they say:

"In e. North America, often winters locally in areas north of main winter range, to Massachusetts and Great Lakes region and throughout Nova Scotia; numbers wintering in this area vary considerably from year to year (CBC unpubl.)"

Field guides should be read sprinkled with a grain of salt.

Maybe I've eaten too many french fries and that's why I can't fly either?

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Mon, May 6, 13 at 18:26

Chippers are showing up in winter in latitudes as northerly as New York State. They aren't common, but they do winter over out of their 'normal' range. I have had them in winter in Appalachian Ohio.