A flock of rusty blackbirds could be seen and heard at Six Mile Lake earlier this week. As the name implies, they are dark birds that in winter have patterns of dull orange, like a brindled dog, over head, back and breast. They are a more northern species usually only seen here in spring and fall.

The next phase of migration should bring in what can be the more problematic birds to tell apart — the sparrows.

Birders often will refer to these as LBJs — “little brown jobs” — because they all have basic brown and white plumage that can make them very difficult to distinguish from one another unless you know the identifying marks for the males.

Females are even more of a challenge because they usually lack these characteristic markings, plus certain female finches can be very similar though usually larger.

Tree sparrow

For the sake of brevity, this column will stick with the six sparrow species most likely to show up by the backyard feeders, and only the males. Others types of sparrows can be found in grass fields or marsh areas but take some hunting and more expertise than I’m willing to claim.

Each of these six has another in the group it can be confused with: the fox and song share some similarities in being heavily streaked on breast and sides, the white-throated and white-crowned both have skunk-like stripes of black and white atop their heads, and the American tree and chipping sparrows have rust-orange caps.

So a few tips on what to look for to determine which is which —

— Fox vs. song: Male fox sparrows have far more reddish color — hence the name — while the song sparrow in our area has a more subdued russet, primarily on the crown and a streak through the eye. The song’s breast streaks also will come together into a central dark spot, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website, www.allaboutbirds.org. The red on the face of a fox sparrow is offset by gray, not white, and the bill is black and yellow, not gray like the song.

— White-throated vs. white-crowned: Simplest identification marks between these two is the yellow spot between eye and bill and, of course, the white throat on the white-throated; the white-crowned has neither of these. White-crowned sparrows also have yellow or pinkish beaks, the white-throated a gray bill, and the head markings on the white-crowned are bolder and more defined.

White-throated sparrow

— Tree vs. chipping: At first glance, this might be the toughest of the group. Both are about the same size, have the rusty caps and have a lighter gray breast and belly without streaks. Simplest difference to spot … is a spot — the tree sparrow has one in the center of its chest, the chipping does not. Other distinguishing traits is the tree sparrow’s beak is dark on top, yellow underneath, while the chipping’s is pink; and the line through the eye on the tree is the same reddish color as the cap, while the chipping has a dark line. Tree sparrows also nest far to the north, where forest meets tundra, and are the most likely to be seen in winter in our area, while the chipping will breed here and farther south, so any sparrow of this type seen in summer likely is a chipping.

The tree and chipping are more willing to come to a hanging or platform feeder, while the others tends to prefer foraging underneath. They can be fun to watch as they scratch like chickens in the dirt and leaf litter.

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Several area residents noted they still had hummingbirds coming to the feeders this week, even on Friday despite the snow. One person said it was the first hummingbird she’s seen in October. But Phyllis Carlson, the wildlife rehabilitator in Quinnesec, has had recent visitors as well and said she’d heard reports of hummingbirds lingering in Marquette.

The feeders probably don’t need as much nectar as before, given the use at this point should be sporadic. But it demonstrates these little birds still need a reliable food source to provide a boost during migration.

White-crowned sparrow

Betsy Bloom can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 40, or bbloom@ironmountaindailynews.com.

Song sparrow

Fox sparrow