Mackenzie's Sparrow
Mackenzie's Sparrow, Zonotrichia mackenziei L 16-19 cm, WS 22-24 cm, Family:
Passerellidae
IUCN Conservation Status: Least concern (LC)
Description:
Large,
long-tailed sparrow with a rounded head, long legs, and a stout bill. Brown
above, gray to gray-brown below, with a striking and distinctive white and black striped crown
with a yellow forehead and throat.
Upperparts heavily streaked, no streaking on breast but very faint streaks may
be seen on flanks. Two white wingbars fairly prominent. Birds of Kosatka Island
have entirely gray undersides which lack streaking. Males and females
indistinguishable, juveniles browner overall, with heavier streaking and a
faded crown, mostly rust colored.
Voice:
One
of the most studied birdsongs on Novasola, as different subspecies across the
island sing different songs, but all are characterized by a series of clear,
pretty whistles, usually descending in pitch, and short, tinny warbles. In
hybrid zones where distinct populations meet, mixed songs may be heard. They
have many calls, the most common is a short, sharp tink, used mostly as
an alarm call. Other sounds include short buzzy trills and harsh rasping calls.
Range and Habitat:
Common
throughout its range, found throughout Novasolan forests and mountains, not
seen on the interior steppe. Prefers shrubby habitats like tundra, alpine
meadows, wetlands, riparian zones, and forest edges, as well as forest
ecosystems with open areas of dense understory, especially conifer rainforests,
subalpine forests, and mixed conifer-deciduous forests. In summer can be found near
and even above the tree line, in winter will migrate to lower elevations,
including into the Twin River Valley, and will use more weedy areas and
agricultural fields, and suburban areas like yards and parks. Occasionally
visits feeders, mostly during the winter.
Discussion:
One
of the more distinct sparrows on the island, the Mackenzie's Sparrow is a relatively
common but striking bird of Novasolan forests, fields, and mountains. Often
sparrows as a group get overlooked for seeming drab, common, and difficult for
many to identify, but the Mack Sparrow’s boldly patterned heads and beautiful
songs set them apart, and have for centuries. Early pioneers and frontiersmen
on Novasola were comforted by the bird’s sweet, if not melancholic, songs, and
many prospectors considered them good luck charms, probably associating the
sparrow’s gold-colored foreheads with the promise of nearby gold ore. This led
to one of their original common names, the Goldrush Bird.
Like
most sparrows the Mackenzie's is most comfortable under the cover of thickets and
dense undergrowth, however they can also be found higher within the forest structure,
and on occasion can even be found in the canopy of conifers like firs and
hemlocks. However, Mack Sparrows usually prefer to remain low, near the ground.
Like other Zonotrichia sparrows they are ground foragers, employing a
distinctive “scratching” behavior, quick successive hops back and forth, to dig
and search among leaf litter and detritus for prey. The Mack Sparrow’s summer
diet consists of mostly invertebrates like beetles, crickets, caterpillars, and
wasps, supplemented with some berries and other fruit, while in the winter they
transition their diets to seeds, mostly of weeds and grasses, grains, and
berries. Perhaps due to their foraging style, Mack Sparrows seem especially prone to infections by parasites like mites and ticks.
In
mating, Mack Sparrows are monogamous and bond for life. Males sing to defend
territories and attract females, and females will sing also. Both sexes sing
throughout the year, even during the winter, and may at times sing throughout
the day, beyond the typical dawn hours. Parents will “teach” songs to offspring
also by singing frequently while raising chicks. Females build a small
cup-nest, rarely above ten feet from the ground, and incubate eggs, while the
male brings her food. Both sexes feed and raise the chicks. Fairly social,
these birds can often be seen in flocks and be found in mixed-species flocks
with other sparrows, chickadees, jewelbirds, and other songbirds.
Notably,
the Mackenzie's Sparrow is one of the most researched birds on Novasola, used
mostly to study the development and evolution of birdsong. Four major groupings
of Mackenzie's Sparrows exist, frequently considered subspecies but this is
controversial, with distinct Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Kosatka Island
populations. Each population or subspecies sings a different song, though
composed of similar phrases and notes, and where each population meets another
many different “hybrid” songs can be heard. This fact alone has interested
scientists for decades, who hope to learn more about how birdsong evolves, and
how individual birds learn song. In the hybrid zones where subspecies ranges
overlap, many different songs can be heard, often mixing elements from both
standard songs. This suggests that songs are learnt, with individuals forming
their song by listening to the songs around them, and so in areas where
multiple song types coexist individuals learn from both types and end up
creating new songs. Perhaps equally interesting, recent studies have found a
“new” song, of a previously unheard pattern, which seems to have started in the
northern group but has in recent years spread to the southern and eastern
groups as well, now heard, albeit rarely, across the main island. This suggests
that though the populations are distinct, new songs learnt from one individual
to another may cross subspecies boundaries, and that individuals continue to
learn, experiment, and improve their songs throughout their lifetime.
The bird, first described scientifically by Richard Reichwald, is named after Major Joseph Mackenzie, an officer of the Novasolan Research Corps and friend to Reichwald. At the time of the NRC expeditions Major Mackenzie was a US Army second lieutenant who supervised over the Corp’s science division who later went on to become a major during the first World War. His wife was the schoolteacher in Cape George, who offered Reichwald lodging during the expedition off-seasons. A guest in their home, Reichwald honored the family by renaming the Goldrush, one of his favorite endemic songbirds, for them. In recent years there has been an international push to change all eponymous bird names in an attempt to remove "ownership" of species and not to honor problematic historical figures. While most of those who wish to see this bird's common name changed prefer the original Goldrush Sparrow name, others believe that name to likewise glorify a problematic and tragic part of history, and prefer the name Yellow-fronted or Golden-fronted Sparrow. The Ciganakin name for the bird is Akuncngag.
Though
more commonly seen in winter when they are more likely to visit yards and
feeders, the Mackenzie's Sparrow is a familiar bird of Novasola known best for
its sweet song. The Museum of Novasola has itself sponsored and undertaken much
research into Mack Sparrow ecology and uses it as the mascot of its ornithology
department.
“This
morning Mr. Reichwald has informed me of what he calls a great personal honor
he has given my name, in that he has described for science a small songbird here
upon which he chose to bestow our name. Though the gesture is kind, and he
means well, I strain myself to see much importance in the matter, as I am moved
less by ornithology or sport as he. Indeed, I could not confidently distinguish
between sparrows and swallows and any other manner of bird outside game, and I
go ignorant of whether I have ever encountered this bird and if so, how often. Nevertheless,
I will let him have his joys and if not by the gift or the bird I am at least
moved by his enthusiasm.” – Joseph Mackenzie, NRC officer, letter to his wife, October
3, 1902
“We
have established camp at the base of hill, having found flat land in a grove of
spruce and tamarack. Though the ground is here sufficiently dry and hard, the
foliage suggests we must be near water.
…
The
scouting party has returned, having found to our north a bog of immense size,
to which many scientists have focused our efforts, as we have come across no other
country comparable. Standing at its southern edge, the extent of the wetland
goes just to the horizon northwards and just as much in either direction west or
east. The trees, few and sparse, are mostly tamarack, with a veritable sea of
moss and low greenery. Mr. Bonet is most thrilled by the doubtless bounty of
new mosses and plants to catalogue, and I am in similar excitement, for though the
bird life here is mostly known species, I am eager to witness their habits in
more detail. Almost immediately upon arrival I was greeted by a small flock of Goldrush
Sparrows, foraging rather discretely among some Labrador tea. Upon my invasion
they flew off in separate directions. Not long after, two of the sparrows began
singing, in a chorus of sorts, from deeper in the bog. Their songs, which I
have many times noted for its melancholic and ethereal way of hanging in the
air like fog, gave the entire region a sombre, beautiful, and introspective
tone, complimenting this cold, wide country. Indeed it seemed, for that brief
moment, time itself had become meditative, slow, which I was grateful for, as
in the company of these birds I wish not time would pass, for as soon as the
songs stop, and silence overtakes its place, as soon as the bird’s absence is
made obvious, I feel only starved of their company.” – Reichwald Expedition log, November 13, 1903
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| The Museum of Novasola's Department of Ornithology (MONDO) uses a Mack Sparrow as its logo and continues to fund and participate in Mack Sparrow research. |