Sparrow size. Male, head, neck and breast black; back and wings dull brown; under parts white with rufous sides. Female, similar to the male, but with head and chest dark gray; brownish sides sharply separated from the gray of the chest. Both have prominent white-edged tails.

ZION. Abundant winter resident, arriving in September and staying until April.

BRYCE CANYON. Common migrant, arriving in September. Probably a winter resident, but records are lacking.

CEDAR BREAKS. Common imigrant, arriving in September.

Late in September these small "black heads" arrive in the region, in large flocks that spread over the plateaus and overflow into the canyons. Every side canyon and open slope seems to be alive with them, as they search industriously for seeds, talking among themselves as they work. Few birds present the clean, immaculate appearance of these friendly little birds, and they are favorites at the feeding platforms during the winter months. Many have been banded to obtain information regarding their movements.

Sparrow size. Adults, ashy-gray; stomach and outer tail feathers white; bright rufous back.

ZION. Fairly common permanent resident, nesting on the plateau in June and moving into the canyons during the cold months.

BRYCE CANYON. Fairly common permanent resident. Nests in June and early July.

CEDAR BREAKS. Common summer resident. Young observed in August.

This species makes up one-half of a most interesting problem in the Zion and Bryce regions. In the higher elevations, this is the resident Junco of the district. Just a few miles in an air line direction in northern Arizona, on the Kaibab Plateau, the Red-backed Junco (Junco phaeonetus dorsalis) is the common resident junco. Yet in the Zion-Bryce region not one Red-back has ever been observed, while Grand Canyon has never recorded the presence of a Gray-head. This is doubly odd, when a study of the three regions shows the same vegetation, climate and food conditions. Additional studies may, and probably will, sometime show that there is a minor overlap in the ranges of these two birds, but at the present time both species are apparently restricted to their local habitats, and do not intermingle.

Small sparrow size. Adults, crown prominently reddish-brown; black line through the eye, and a white line above it; back brownish, streaked with black; under parts clear gray.

ZION. Common summer resident in all but the extreme lower portions of the park. Nests in June and July.

BRYCE CANYON. Common summer resident throughout the major portion of the park. Nests in June.

CEDAR BREAKS. Common summer resident. Nests in late June and early July.

Those familiar with the Eastern Chipping Sparrow, and his liking for the orchards and lawns, will be somewhat surprised to find his western cousin a lover of the forests and small open parks. He is often seen on the ground, where he searches for food. Unlike most sparrows, he seldom scratches for food, but takes whatever he happens to find. If startled, he usually flies into the lower branches of some nearby tree, instead of darting into the undergrowth. His song is a rather dry, somewhat monotonous trill, and is far from being anything that might be classed as musical.

Small sparrow size. Adults, very similar to the Chipping Sparrow, but lacks the rufous crown, the crown of the Brewer being finely streaked.

ZION. Fairly common summer resident in the sagebrush regions throughout the park. Nests in June.

This is sometimes called the "sagebrush chippie," because of its close resemblance to its rufous-crowned cousin, and the fact that it inhabits the sagebrush country. Unlike the Chippie, however, the Brewer has a most pleasing song, although a rather weak one. When disturbed, it flits quietly through the brush from one bit of shelter to another, seldom coming out into the open unless forced to do so.

Typical sparrow size. Adults, upper parts grayish-brown; lower parts ashy-gray, becoming clear grayish-white on the breast; head broadly streaked with black and white.

ZION. Uncommon imigrant in company with the Gambel's Sparrow.

CEDAR BREAKS. Fairly common summer resident. Nests in June.

In the cool, crisp air around the rim country at Cedar Breaks one may hear the rather wheezy song of the White-crown through most of the summer months, and little searching is necessary to discover this beautifully marked songster, as he forages through the low bushes and works his way beneath the drooping branches of the evergreens. His song can be put into words in a fashion, and is described by Peterson as a rather plaintive "say, see, say, saw," followed by a husky nasal trill. While he migrates through the lower altitudes during the fall and spring months, he is definitely a bird of the high mountain country, with its spruce and fir forests.

Typical sparrow size. Adults, almost identical to the White-crown, but with the white line through the eye starting from the bill. In the White-crown the line starts from the eye.

ZION. Common migrant in the fall and spring.

BRYCE CANYON. Common migrant in the fall and spring.

This is the common sparrow during the early winter months in the protected canyons, especially around Zion. Dozens have been banded to try to determine just where they nest during the summer months, but no success has been had thus far. The coming of the Gambel's Sparrow is an occasion to look forward to seeing. Late one evening in the early fall the live oak clumps in the side canyons become literally alive with these little birds, and for an hour or two before finally settling down for the night they discuss their travels, and sing the wheezy little song that is such a joy to hear. During the winter they usually leave and drift onward—where is not yet known. Then in the early spring, usually around February, they reappear as abruptly as they left, and with no more warning, to stay for several days before moving northward.

Typical sparrow size. Adults, upper parts dark brown and olive-gray, streaked with black; a broad buffy chest band, narrowly streaked with black; crown with a light buffy stripe.

ZION. Uncommon permanent resident; although erratic during the winter months. Nests in June.

BRYCE CANYON. Uncommon summer resident. Young observed in June.

CEDAR BREAKS. Rare summer visitant.

This bird is so much like the Song Sparrow that it is easy to make a mistake in field identification, even where both birds are present. However, the buffy chest band serves as an excellent field mark. Its song is quite different from the more deliberate, bell-like notes of the Song Sparrow, resembling somewhat the gurgling, rollicking song of the Purple Finch.

Typical sparrow size. Adults, very similar to the Lincoln's Sparrow, but lacking the buffy chest band; breast heavily streaked with dark brown, with the streaks converging in the center of the breast to form a black spot.

ZION. Common permanent resident in the lower portions of the park. Nests in June.

The Mountain Song Sparrow is definitely a dweller of the stream courses and cattail swamps. Along the Narrows Trail his song can be heard from early spring until the middle of summer, and the songster can usually be seen perched on a bare vine or small branch within a few inches of leafy cover, into which he quietly disappears if disturbed. His song is all his name suggests, being one of the most pleasing melodies of the sparrow group. It usually starts with three notes of the same pitch, followed by a variety of bell-like trills and runs that gradually diminish in volume. In flight it jerks its tail in a very noticeable manner, as though giving emphasis to each beat of the wings.

White-crowned Sparrow (top), Young of Say's Phoebe (bottom).