Melospiza Melodia
Latin names for birds are not always memorable, at least for someone with a memory for names like mine. Melospiza Melodia seems so apt for the common Song Sparrow that even I might remember it - a name fitting enough for an Italian tenor. And, even I can now recognize it’s distinctive song that combines several opening chords with a flowing, somewhat variable chorus. Though much less forceful and much more high-pitched, the opening notes of some song sparrow songs have been likened to the familiar four notes at the beginning of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (Duh Duh Duh Dum). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnejB-fYuJk A grand comparison for such a little bird! TIL that birds’ beaks are important for thermoregulation - either for losing heat when it’s hot or absorbing solar heat when it’s cool. In this regard, song sparrow beak size variations have been studied as adaptations to climate change. Competing for the canary in the coal mine role, I guess.