Lincoln's Sparrow - Melospiza lincolnii

Lincoln's Sparrow has a partial preformative molt and absent to limited prealternate molts. Most individuals can be aged by plumage characteristics, but some intermediates are difficult to age in spring. Sex can be determined only by brood patch / cloacal protuberance during the breeding season.

Juvenile plumage is very similar to that of Song and Swamp Sparrows; Lincoln's Sparrow tends to have a proportionately longer wing and shorter tail, and a grayish (as opposed to yellowish) upper mouth lining.

Quick tips

• Look at the tail - uniformly narrow and pointed rectrices OR contrastingly fresh and broad central rectrices are indicative of FCF/FCU (HY/SY), while uniformly broad and more rounded rectrices are typical of DCB/DCU (AHY/ASY).
• In fall, look at the face - FCF (HY) birds tend to have a more golden-beige face including a beige eye ring, whereas DCB (AHY) birds are more grayish, sometimes incluing a gray eye ring.
• Check the outer primary coverts - they are relatively narrow and pointed with minimal pale brown edging on FCF/FCU (HY/SY) birds, and relatively broad and rounded with fairly distinct brown edging on DCB/DCU (AHY/ASY) birds.

Species account prepared by McGill Bird Observatory (2016). Last updated by Marcel Gahbauer (Mar 2022)