If you think sparrows look similar, wait 'til you start watching warblers....
Tom.
..you don't want to be scaring her off now! LOL
Native Sparrows are much harder to ID in my opinion but a good place to start is with their habitat - where are you seeing the sparrow?
...deep swamp or boggy area - probably a swamp sparrow or
...reedy marsh area - could be a song sparrow or
...grassland - depending on type/length of grass could be a savannah or
each type usually tends to be found in the habitat they prefer, after you have that established then you can listen for song, look for distinctive markings, shape of head, length of tail, relative size etc.
Joann
..least thats how I do it :-)