I am pretty sure it is a Field Sparrow. They are fairly similar to Chipping Sparrows but have a pinker beak and lack the white/black stripes by the eye.

This bird is a first-year (immature) White-crowned Sparrow (WCSP). White-crowned Sparrows retain their juvenile plumage throughout their first winter and into next spring when they molt into adult breeding plumage. Thus, in winter, you often seen immatures with brown head streaks (note the two dark brown streaks on the head correspond to the two black streaks of a mature bird) mixed with adult birds. Also, this birds beak is much to yellow-orange for a Field Sparrow, whose beak would be pinker.

See link below of a great pic of an immature WCSP that was misidentified as a Field Sparrow.

BN

Here is a link that might be useful: WCSP, not FESP

Thanks to both of you.

Wow. Really nice pic of a very cute little bird. It has a rather perplexed expression I think. Don't get them at my house. Easy to see how the ID could be confused. I so admire the expert ID people here.

Wow BN, great link to pics of the Field Sparrow, which to me looks exactly like the picture that bob414 posted. The beak is pink above and yellow below in both his and the link shots. I have seen imm. white crowned sparrows and they do have the pale eye stripe behind the eye which bob414 pic doesn't seem to have. I am no expert but I still think it is a field sparrow. One of those birds that is hard to tell I guess.

Aside from the bill, Field Sparrow would have a grey central crown stripe, not a tan one. This is a White-crowned.

-O-

Oops BN, didn't see you said the link was misidentified. Looked around a bit more and yes I agree with you. It is a immature White Crowned. I think there are more on the web that are labeled wrong too. They are quite similar birds but I can see the differences now. Thanks!

Donna

Good picture and we are also seeing an immature white crown this season and did the same dance. We figured it out and confirmed it. I took a few pictures like I always try to do on the questionable ones because sometimes they are more truthful than memory. And then started jotting down the observations......size/marks/tail notched?/ beak. Your's is indeed an immature white crown. Good call.