You’re standing in your backyard with binoculars in hand, watching a small brown bird flit between branches. Is it a sparrow? A wren? One of those tricky thrushes? New Hampshire hosts an impressive variety of brown-feathered birds, and while they might seem similar at first glance, each species has distinctive features that make identification rewarding once you know what to look for.
This guide walks you through 25 brown birds you’re likely to encounter across New Hampshire’s diverse habitats—from suburban feeders to forest trails.
You’ll discover the key field marks, behavioral quirks, and seasonal patterns that separate a House Sparrow from a Song Sparrow, or help you distinguish between three different wren species.
Whether you’re just starting your birding journey or refining your identification skills, these insights will transform those “little brown birds” into recognizable neighbors.
Song Sparrow
The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) ranks among New Hampshire’s most widespread and vocal brown birds. You’ll recognize them by the heavy brown streaking on their white breast that converges into a central dark spot, creating a distinctive “stickpin” mark. Their rounded tail pumps noticeably during flight, and their overall appearance is warm brown above with gray highlights.
Listen for their complex, musical song that typically starts with three clear notes followed by a varied trill—a sound that brightens New Hampshire mornings from March through October. Song Sparrows adapt remarkably well to various habitats, thriving in brushy areas near water, suburban gardens, and woodland edges. They’re year-round residents in many parts of the state, though northern populations may migrate south during harsh winters.
Pro Tip: Song Sparrows often sing from exposed perches at dawn and dusk, making them easier to observe during these golden hours when their streaked breast pattern catches the light.
House Sparrow
Don’t let the name fool you—the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) isn’t actually a true sparrow but a member of the weaver finch family.
Males display a gray crown, black bib, and chestnut nape, while females and juveniles wear plain brown plumage with a distinctive pale eyebrow stripe. Their stout build and thick, seed-crushing bill set them apart from native sparrow species.
These introduced birds rarely venture far from human habitation, clustering around parking lots, building eaves, and bird feeders throughout New Hampshire.
House Sparrows are permanent residents that breed prolifically, often raising multiple broods per season. Their constant chirping and quarrelsome behavior make them hard to miss in urban and suburban settings.
You’ll find House Sparrows competing aggressively for nesting sites and food resources, sometimes displacing native cavity-nesting birds. They prefer seeds and grains but adapt their diet seasonally, feeding insects to their young during breeding season.
House Wren
The House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) brings outsized personality in a tiny brown package. This energetic bird measures just 4-5 inches long but fills New Hampshire’s spring and summer air with bubbling, exuberant songs.
Their plumage is plain brown overall with subtle barring on wings and tail, and they hold their short tail characteristically cocked upward.
These cavity nesters arrive in New Hampshire around late April and quickly claim nest boxes, natural cavities, and even unusual spots like hanging planters or mailboxes.
House Wrens are fiercely territorial, sometimes destroying eggs of other cavity-nesting birds to secure prime real estate. They forage actively in low vegetation and brush piles, gleaning insects and spiders with their thin, slightly curved bills.
Common Mistake: Confusing House Wrens with Winter Wrens. House Wrens are larger, paler, and lack the distinct barring on their flanks that Winter Wrens display.
Carolina Wren
The Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) stands out as New Hampshire’s largest and most colorful wren. Rich rusty-brown upperparts contrast beautifully with a warm buff-colored breast, and a bold white eyebrow stripe adds striking definition to their face. Unlike other wrens, Carolina Wrens have steadily expanded their range northward over recent decades, becoming increasingly common in southern New Hampshire.
Their loud “teakettle-teakettle-teakettle” song rings out year-round, as these birds don’t migrate and continue singing even during winter months. Carolina Wrens prefer habitats with dense understory vegetation, including woodland edges, brushy yards, and areas with brush piles or fallen logs. They’re curious birds that often investigate porches, garages, and sheds for potential nesting sites.
These wrens form long-term pair bonds and both parents actively defend their territory. They feed primarily on insects and spiders but will visit suet feeders during winter, especially during harsh weather when natural food becomes scarce.
Winter Wren
Among New Hampshire’s smallest birds, the Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) packs incredible vocal power into a compact body barely 4 inches long. Dark brown overall with heavy barring on flanks, wings, and tail, they’re darker and more intricately patterned than House Wrens. Their tiny stub tail typically points straight up, and they exhibit a distinctive bobbing motion as they forage.
Winter Wrens inhabit cool, moist coniferous and mixed forests throughout New Hampshire, especially areas with abundant fallen logs and dense undergrowth. During breeding season, males deliver one of the longest and most complex songs in North American birds—a remarkable cascade of tinkling notes that can last 8-10 seconds. They’re present year-round in suitable habitat, though some northern birds move south during winter.
Watch for Winter Wrens creeping mouse-like through tangles of roots, fallen branches, and mossy rocks, methodically searching crevices for insects and spiders. Their secretive nature and preference for dense cover can make them challenging to spot, but their extraordinary song gives away their presence.
Key Insight: The Winter Wren’s scientific name Troglodytes hiemalis translates roughly to “winter cave-dweller,” referencing both their season and their habit of exploring dark crevices.
American Robin
While American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are famous for their brick-red breasts, their backs are distinctly brown, making them relevant to your brown bird identification journey. This familiar thrush displays grayish-brown upperparts, a darker head, white eye crescents, and that characteristic orange-red chest. Males tend to have darker heads and brighter breasts than females.
Robins are year-round residents throughout much of New Hampshire, though you’ll see larger numbers during spring and fall migration. They’re highly adaptable, thriving in lawns, parks, gardens, and forest edges. Watch them hunting earthworms with a distinctive run-stop-tilt pattern as they listen for underground movement, or see them gathering in large flocks to feast on winter berry crops.
Their clear, whistled “cheerily-cheer-up-cheerio” song is one of the first bird sounds you’ll hear on spring mornings. Robins build sturdy mud-and-grass cup nests on horizontal branches, ledges, or even porch lights, often raising 2-3 broods per season.
Hermit Thrush
New Hampshire’s state bird, the Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus), combines subtle beauty with one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs in North American birds. This medium-sized thrush wears brown upperparts with a distinctive reddish-brown tail that contrasts with its back—a key field mark. The breast shows neat dark spots on a whitish background, and they display a thin white eye ring.
Hermit Thrushes breed in New Hampshire’s coniferous and mixed forests, favoring cooler upland habitats with dense understory. Their flute-like song features clear, rising phrases followed by harmonic overtones, often described as spiritual or ethereal. While most migrate south for winter, some individuals remain in southern New Hampshire, especially in areas with reliable berry sources.
Watch for their characteristic behavior of slowly raising and lowering their tail while perched, a quirk that helps distinguish them from similar thrush species. They forage primarily on the ground, flipping leaf litter to expose insects, and they supplement their diet with berries during fall and winter.
Wood Thrush
The Wood Thrush (Hyloichla mustelina) is one of New Hampshire’s most charismatic forest birds, though declining habitat has made them less common than in past decades. They’re slightly larger and rounder than Hermit Thrushes, with rich cinnamon-brown upperparts that are brightest on the head and face. Large, bold black spots cover their white breast and flanks in a striking pattern.
These forest specialists require mature deciduous or mixed woodlands with dense understory—exactly the type of habitat that’s become increasingly fragmented. Wood Thrushes arrive in New Hampshire around May and fill the woods with their unforgettable song: liquid, fluty phrases often described as “ee-oh-lay.” Each phrase seems to echo through the forest canopy.
Wood Thrushes forage methodically on the forest floor, using their bills to turn over leaves and probe soft soil for invertebrates. During breeding season, both parents defend territories and care for young, though they face significant challenges from nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds and fragmented forest habitats.
Important Note: Wood Thrush populations have declined by over 60% since 1966, making every sighting in New Hampshire particularly valuable. Supporting forest conservation efforts helps protect these remarkable songbirds.
Veery
The Veery (Catharus fuscescens) is the cinnamon-colored member of New Hampshire’s thrush family. Uniformly tawny-brown above with only faint spotting on the upper breast, Veeries appear cleaner and less spotted than other thrushes. This subtle plumage helps them blend seamlessly into the dappled light of their preferred moist woodland habitats.
Veeries breed in deciduous forests near streams, swamps, and wetlands throughout New Hampshire, especially in areas with dense understory vegetation. Their song is instantly recognizable: a downward-spiraling series of “veer-veer-veer” notes that give the bird its name. This song typically echoes through New Hampshire woods from mid-May through July before the birds begin their long migration to South America.
These ground-foraging thrushes feed primarily on insects during summer, switching to berries during migration. Their nests are typically built close to the ground in dense shrubs or small trees. Veeries show strong site fidelity, often returning to the same breeding territories year after year.
Eastern Towhee
Male Eastern Towhees (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) sport dramatic black, white, and rufous plumage, but females wear warm brown where males show black—making them genuinely brown birds worth including here. Both sexes display rufous sides, white bellies, and bright red eyes. Females have rich chocolate-brown heads, backs, and tails with the same striking color pattern as males.
These large, robin-sized sparrows are permanent residents in southern New Hampshire and summer visitors further north. Eastern Towhees inhabit woodland edges, overgrown fields, and areas with dense shrubby undergrowth. Listen for their distinctive “drink-your-tea!” song and their characteristic foraging behavior: a two-footed backward scratch through leaf litter that sounds like small mammals rustling through the understory.
Towhees nest low in dense shrubs or on the ground, building well-concealed cup nests. They feed on insects, seeds, and berries, visiting ground-level feeders in suburban areas where habitat meets human development. Their bold personality and striking appearance make them favorites among New Hampshire birders.
Northern Flicker
The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is New Hampshire’s most terrestrial woodpecker, spending much of its time on the ground hunting ants. Their brownish back shows prominent black barring, creating a scaled appearance. The eastern “Yellow-shafted” form displays bright yellow wing and tail undersides visible during flight, along with a black chest crescent and white rump patch.
These large woodpeckers are common year-round throughout New Hampshire, though numbers increase during migration. Flickers differ from other woodpeckers in their feeding behavior, using their slightly curved bill to probe soil and anthills rather than drilling into wood. They also eat beetles, termites, and seasonal fruits. Their loud, repeated “wick-wick-wick” call and exuberant spring drumming on resonant surfaces announce their presence.
Northern Flickers excavate nesting cavities in dead trees, and these holes later provide homes for many other cavity-nesting species. They’re attracted to yards with mature trees, dead snags, and open grassy areas for foraging. Watch for their distinctive undulating flight pattern and that brilliant flash of yellow when they take wing.
Pro Tip: Flickers love ants so much that a single bird can consume thousands in one day. If you see a woodpecker on your lawn rather than on a tree, it’s almost certainly a flicker.
Brown Thrasher
The Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) is New Hampshire’s largest mimid, measuring 10-12 inches from bill to tail tip. Rich rufous-brown upperparts contrast with a heavily streaked white breast, and their long tail and slightly curved bill give them an elegant profile. Bright yellow eyes stand out on their gray face, adding to their distinguished appearance.
These accomplished singers arrive in New Hampshire around late April, preferring dense thickets, hedgerows, and woodland edges with plenty of cover. Brown Thrashers possess one of the largest song repertoires among North American birds—some individuals can sing over 1,000 different song types! They typically repeat each phrase twice before moving to the next, distinguishing them from mockingbirds (which repeat phrases 3+ times) and catbirds (which don’t repeat phrases).
Brown Thrashers forage primarily on the ground, using their bill to vigorously toss aside leaf litter in search of insects, spiders, and other invertebrates. During fall and winter, they supplement their diet with berries and seeds. Their skulking nature and preference for dense cover can make them challenging to observe despite their large size.
Brown Creeper
The Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) is masterfully camouflaged against tree bark. Streaky brown upperparts with buff and white mottling create perfect bark-pattern mimicry, while their undersides are white. A long, stiff tail acts as a prop, and their thin, decurved bill is perfectly designed for extracting insects from bark crevices.
These small, unobtrusive birds are year-round residents throughout New Hampshire’s forests. Watch for their distinctive foraging behavior: they spiral upward from the base of a tree trunk, methodically searching bark crevices, then fly to the base of the next tree to begin again. Their high-pitched, wheezy song is easy to overlook, but once learned, helps locate these cryptic birds.
Brown Creepers nest behind loose bark on dead or dying trees, making snags essential habitat. They feed exclusively on small insects, spiders, and insect eggs gleaned from bark surfaces. During winter, they often join mixed-species foraging flocks with chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers, benefiting from the flock’s vigilance.
Key Insight: Brown Creepers have specially adapted toes with long, curved claws that grip bark securely, and their stiff tail feathers have pointed tips that help prop them against vertical surfaces.
Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) display smooth, silky brownish plumage on their head, back, and chest that transitions to gray on the wings and tail. Their most distinctive features include a black mask outlined in white, a short crest, and bright yellow tips on their tail feathers. The “wax” in their name refers to red, waxy droplets on their secondary wing feathers—though these are only present on some adults.
These highly social birds travel in flocks year-round, with numbers varying seasonally across New Hampshire. Waxwings specialize in eating berries and can often be found in large groups stripping fruit-bearing trees and shrubs. During breeding season, they also catch flying insects with impressive aerial acrobatics. Their late nesting schedule (often June-July) aligns with peak berry availability.
Listen for their high, thin, whistled “seeee” calls as flocks pass overhead. Cedar Waxwings are nomadic, wandering widely in search of fruit crops. You might see hundreds one week and none the next as they follow seasonal food sources. They’re attracted to yards with berry-producing trees and shrubs like serviceberry, cedar, and dogwood.
Mourning Dove
The Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) is one of New Hampshire’s most common and recognizable birds. Their overall appearance is soft grayish-brown with a peachy-buff wash on the breast. Black spots accent the wings, and their long, pointed tail shows white edges in flight. Adults have small heads, thin necks, and that characteristic hunched, plump-bodied profile.
These doves are permanent residents throughout most of New Hampshire, though northern populations may migrate south during harsh winters. Their mournful “coo-OO-oo-oo” song—which gives them their name—is a familiar soundtrack from suburban backyards to rural fields. Mourning Doves feed primarily on seeds, spending much of their time foraging on the ground or visiting platform and ground feeders.
Watch for their explosive, whistling wing sounds during takeoff, created by their wing feathers cutting through the air. Mourning Doves are prolific breeders, capable of raising 5-6 broods per year. They build flimsy twig platforms that seem impossibly inadequate yet successfully host countless nestlings across multiple breeding cycles.
American Woodcock
The American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) is one of New Hampshire’s most unusual brown birds—a stocky, short-legged shorebird that’s perfectly adapted for forest life. Intricate cryptic plumage features browns, blacks, and grays in dead-leaf patterns. Their most striking features are large dark eyes set high and far back on their head, giving them nearly 360-degree vision, and a very long, straight bill for probing soil.
Woodcock inhabit young forests, old fields with scattered shrubs, and forest edges near moist areas. They’re most famous for their spectacular spring courtship display: males perform at dusk, giving nasal “peent” calls from the ground before spiraling upward in wide circles, then zigzagging back down while their wing feathers produce twittering sounds. This sky dance is one of New Hampshire’s most remarkable natural phenomena.
These crepuscular birds probe soft soil with their sensitive bills, feeling for earthworms—their primary food. The flexible bill tip can open underground to grasp prey, an adaptation shared with few other birds. Woodcock migrate short to moderate distances, with peak migration through New Hampshire occurring in late March to April and October to November.
Pro Tip: Visit known woodcock display sites at dusk during late March through May for an unforgettable wildlife experience. The males’ spiraling flight displays are most active just after sunset on clear evenings.
Carolina Chickadee
While Black-capped Chickadees dominate throughout most of New Hampshire, the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) appears in the state’s southern reaches where the two species’ ranges overlap and occasionally hybridize. Carolina Chickadees show grayish-brown plumage on their flanks and back—slightly warmer toned than their black-capped cousins. The black cap and bib are similar, but Carolina Chickadees have less white edging on their wing feathers.
These small, active birds inhabit deciduous and mixed forests, parks, and suburban areas. They’re permanent residents that maintain pair bonds year-round. Carolina Chickadees feed on insects, spiders, seeds, and berries, and they readily visit feeders for sunflower seeds and suet. Like Black-capped Chickadees, they cache food items for later retrieval during winter.
Distinguishing Carolina from Black-capped Chickadees challenges even experienced birders in overlap zones. The most reliable field mark is their song: Carolina Chickadees sing a four-note “fee-bee-fee-bay” compared to Black-capped’s two-note “fee-bee.” Their calls also differ slightly in quality. In hybrid zones, individual birds may show intermediate characteristics.
Field Sparrow
The Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) brings soft colors and sweet songs to New Hampshire’s open habitats. They’re small, slim sparrows with a plain face that shows a distinct white eye ring. Their most distinctive features are a bright pink bill and rusty cap, combined with warm brown and gray tones on the back and wings. The breast is plain grayish-buff without streaking.
These sparrows prefer overgrown fields, pastures reverting to shrubland, and young forest openings—habitats that have become less common in New Hampshire as forests mature and agricultural land converts to development. Field Sparrows arrive in April and announce their presence with an accelerating series of sweet, whistled notes often described as a bouncing ball coming to rest.
Field Sparrows nest low in dense grasses or small shrubs, often raising two broods per season. They feed primarily on seeds during most of the year, switching to insects during breeding season. These sparrows are ground foragers that hop deliberately while searching for food, occasionally flying to perches to survey their territory or deliver their melodic songs.
Chipping Sparrow
The Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) is one of New Hampshire’s most common and approachable sparrows. Breeding adults display a bright rusty cap, clean gray breast and underparts, and a distinctive black eye line bordered by white. Non-breeding adults and juveniles show duller plumage with a brown, streaked cap, making identification more challenging outside of summer months.
These small, slender sparrows are summer residents throughout New Hampshire, preferring open woodlands, parks, suburbs, and lawns with scattered trees. They’re comfortable around humans and often forage on the ground near houses and buildings. Their dry, mechanical trill—essentially one note repeated rapidly—is a common sound from April through August.
Chipping Sparrows build tiny, neat cup nests in shrubs or conifers, often lining them with animal hair (historically horse hair, now often dog or cat fur). They feed heavily on grass seeds and grains but switch to an insect-based diet during breeding season. Watch for them hopping across lawns or visiting ground feeders where they prefer millet and smaller seeds.
Common Mistake: Confusing non-breeding Chipping Sparrows with Field Sparrows or American Tree Sparrows. Check for the Chipping Sparrow’s gray rump (brown in other species), dark eye line, and habitat preferences.
White-throated Sparrow
The White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) is one of New Hampshire’s most distinctive and vocal sparrows. Adults come in two color morphs—white-striped and tan-striped—both showing a clean white throat patch, boldly patterned head stripes, and brown-streaked back. The bright yellow spot between the eye and bill (the “lores”) adds a splash of color to their handsome appearance.
These large, plump sparrows breed in northern coniferous and mixed forests throughout much of New Hampshire, favoring areas with dense understory. Their whistled “Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody” song is one of the most recognizable sounds in New Hampshire’s northern forests. During migration and winter, they’re common at feeders throughout the state, often scratching vigorously in leaf litter beneath feeding stations.
White-throated Sparrows feed on seeds, berries, and insects, showing a particular fondness for millet at feeders. They typically forage on the ground using that distinctive two-footed scratch and backward kick to expose hidden food. During winter, they often travel in small flocks and may join mixed-species feeding groups.
Swamp Sparrow
The Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) lives up to its name, inhabiting wetland edges, marshes, and areas with dense emergent vegetation. They’re stocky sparrows with rusty caps (brightest during breeding season), gray faces, rusty wings, and a grayish breast with minimal streaking—much cleaner than Song Sparrows. Their throat often shows white with thin dark stripes on the sides.
These secretive sparrows breed throughout New Hampshire wherever suitable wetland habitat exists. They’re partial migrants, with some individuals remaining in southern areas during mild winters while others move to coastal marshes or further south. Swamp Sparrows deliver a slow, sweet, musical trill that carries across marshes during breeding season.
Watch for Swamp Sparrows creeping through dense vegetation at the water’s edge, occasionally popping up briefly to survey their surroundings before disappearing back into cover. They build well-hidden nests low in marsh vegetation, often directly over water. Their diet consists primarily of insects during summer, shifting to seeds during fall and winter.
Savannah Sparrow
The Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) is a small, heavily streaked sparrow that frequents open grasslands, fields, and coastal areas throughout New Hampshire. They show brown streaking on white underparts, yellowish eyebrows (often subtle), a pinkish bill, and a relatively short, notched tail. Overall, they appear crisply patterned but variable, with some individuals showing heavier streaking than others.
These ground-dwelling sparrows are common migrants throughout New Hampshire and breed in the state’s grasslands, hayfields, and coastal dunes. They’re rarely far from grass cover and typically run through vegetation rather than flying when disturbed. Savannah Sparrows deliver a buzzy “tsip-tsip-tsee-tsaaaay” song from fence posts, shrubs, or grass clumps.
Savannah Sparrows nest on the ground in grass-concealed cup nests, making them vulnerable to mowing during breeding season. They feed primarily on insects during summer, supplementing their diet with seeds during migration and on their wintering grounds. Conservation of grassland habitats directly benefits these declining open-country specialists.
Key Insight: The Savannah Sparrow gets its name not from the habitat but from Savannah, Georgia, where the species was first collected and described by ornithologists in the early 1800s.
Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) breed in New Hampshire’s northern coniferous forests during summer, but they’re most familiar as winter visitors throughout the state. While the “Slate-colored” form shows dark gray overall, several individuals show brownish tones—particularly females and juveniles, which often have brown-washed backs and flanks. All forms display white outer tail feathers that flash conspicuously during flight and pink bills.
These sparrows arrive in force during October, becoming abundant at feeders and woodland edges throughout winter. They’re primarily ground feeders, hopping across snow and bare ground while searching for seeds. Juncos often travel in small flocks, and their presence around feeders is a reliable sign that winter has truly arrived in New Hampshire.
Watch for juncos’ distinctive behavior: they hop rather than walk, frequently flicking their tails to flash those white outer tail feathers, possibly as a flock coordination signal. They prefer to feed on the ground beneath feeders rather than perching on feeders themselves. Come spring, most depart for northern breeding grounds, though populations breed in New Hampshire’s mountains.
Eastern Phoebe
The Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is a medium-sized flycatcher with overall brown-gray plumage, darker on the head and back, and whitish underparts often washed with yellow (especially in fall). They lack the bold wing bars shown by many flycatchers, appearing relatively plain. One of their most reliable identification features is their characteristic tail-bobbing behavior—repeated downward tail dips while perched.
These early migrants return to New Hampshire in late March, often before most other flycatchers arrive. Phoebes favor areas near water with vertical surfaces for nesting—they traditionally nest on cliffs and rock outcrops but now commonly use building eaves, bridges, and culverts. Their name comes from their repetitive “fee-bee” song, delivered with mechanical regularity.
Eastern Phoebes hunt from exposed perches, flying out to catch insects in mid-air before returning to the same or nearby perch—classic flycatcher behavior. They’re territorial and often return to the same nesting sites year after year. Phoebes build mud-and-moss nests reinforced with grass, often raising two broods per season before departing in September or October.
Willow Flycatcher
The Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) belongs to the notoriously difficult Empidonax genus—small, drab flycatchers that frustrate even experienced birders. They show brownish-olive upperparts, whitish underparts with yellowish wash on the belly, and two whitish wing bars. Telling Willow Flycatchers from Alder Flycatchers by appearance alone is nearly impossible; voice is the most reliable identification method.
These flycatchers arrive in New Hampshire during May, inhabiting shrubby wetlands, old fields with scattered woody growth, and streamside thickets. Their distinctive “fitz-bew” song—with emphasis on the first syllable—provides certain identification. Willow Flycatchers hunt insects from low to mid-level perches, sallying out to catch prey in flight or occasionally gleaning from vegetation.
Willow Flycatchers build compact cup nests in shrubs or small trees, typically 3-8 feet above ground. Both parents care for nestlings, making frequent foraging trips to deliver insects. These flycatchers face significant challenges from habitat loss and Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism. They depart New Hampshire by September, heading to Central and South America for winter.
Important Note: The Willow Flycatcher was once considered the same species as the Alder Flycatcher. They were split into separate species in 1973 based primarily on vocal differences, though subtle plumage and habitat differences also exist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the easiest way to tell brown sparrows apart? Focus on head patterns first—look for distinctive features like the Song Sparrow’s central breast spot, Field Sparrow’s pink bill and rusty cap, or White-throated Sparrow’s bold head stripes. Head markings typically remain visible even in poor lighting and at a distance, making them more reliable than subtle back streaking or wing bar differences.
Why do so many birds have brown feathers? Brown plumage provides excellent camouflage in woodland, grassland, and shrubland habitats. Many brown birds are ground foragers or nest in exposed locations where cryptic coloration offers protection from predators. This is especially true for females of many species, whose survival during vulnerable nesting periods is critical for reproductive success.
When is the best time to see brown birds in New Hampshire? Spring migration (late April through May) offers the highest diversity as summer residents return and migrants pass through. However, different species peak at different times: phoebes arrive in late March, warblers peak in May, and sparrows continue through early June. Winter brings different specialties like Tree Sparrows and increased junco numbers.
Do brown birds change color during the year? Some species show seasonal plumage changes. Chipping Sparrows develop bright rusty caps in spring but show brown streaked caps in winter. Many sparrows have fresher, crisper plumage in fall after molting, appearing brighter than their worn spring feathers. However, adult plumage patterns generally remain recognizable year-round.
How can I attract more brown birds to my yard? Create diverse habitats with dense shrubs for cover, leave brush piles for foraging, maintain areas of native grasses and wildflowers for seed production, and provide water sources. Ground feeders stocked with white millet attract many sparrow species, while suet feeders draw thrushes, wrens, and creepers during cooler months.
