I used to think that all sparrows were simply nondescript little brown birds. Now I look more closely and can see how beautiful and distinctive they really are, like this White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) that I spotted last week at Huntley Meadows Park.
I especially love the bright yellow stripe on its face (in an area technically called its “lore”) that really stands out amid the other, more subdued colors.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
They are attractive little birds. I used to think a sparrow was a sparrow was a sparrow, but I recently learned that there are several species in our area — just don’t ask me to sort them out!
The White-throated Sparrow is about the easiest to identify. When it comes to Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows and such, I start to have real troubles identifying them.
Love this, Mike! We have recently decided that we are going to “work on” identifying sparrows this winter, for the same reason – once you start looking more closely, the differences in the types are so much fun!