This bird is similar to several sparrows, but it doesn’t seem to match any exactly. What is it?

COON RAPIDS, MINNESOTA Colleen Gibbs

Kenn and Kimberly: With a beautiful, clear photo such as yours, we have plenty of clues to check. This bird is a Lincoln’s sparrow, an uncommon species in your area that is often shy. Its colors are helpful for checking its identity: The face is mostly gray, with reddish brown stripes along the sides of the crown, a buff mustache mark and a narrow buff eye ring. The chest is also buff with narrow black streaks. The bold black spot on the chest might be confusing since that’s sometimes considered a field mark specifically for song sparrows, but actually many other sparrows can show that mark.