the_thea•1d agoTop Commenter

PSA: Stop calling every brown bird a sparrow

Was at my feeder yesterday and this lady pointed at a female house finch and goes "look at that cute little sparrow." How hard is it to notice the streaky belly and the lack of a dark spot on the cheek before you start naming things? Is basic field ID just too much to ask for in a birdwatching group?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley431d ago

Honestly, I've started just saying "nice female house finch" when people do that. It's not rude but it gets the point across without making it a whole thing.

elliot_patel1d ago

I mean, house finches actually have streaky bellies and the males are red, so that's pretty spot on, but the finch part is right.