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Cool Facts |
Photo
taken from:
The
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America by
David Allen Sibley
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- The Rufous-crowned
Sparrow was described in 1852 by John Cassin as
Ammodramus ruficeps. It is also known as the Rock
Sparrow because of its preference to live on rocky
slopes.
- The derivation of
the current genus name, Aimophila, is from aimos,
'thicket' and phila, 'loving'. Its species name is a
literal derivation of its common name, derived from the
Latin words rufus 'rufous' and -ceps, from caput 'head'.
- Male sparrows
maintain and defend their territories throughout the
year.
- A group of sparrows
has many collective nouns, including a "crew",
"flutter", "meinie", "quarrel", and "ubiquity" of
sparrows.
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Description |
- Size: 13-14 cm (5-6 in)
- Wingspan: 21 cm (8 in)
- Weight: 13-17 g (0.46-0.6 ounces)
- Small sparrow.
- Gray head with solid rufous crown.
- Rufous stripe behind eye.
- one black mustache stripes on each side of bill.
- Streaked upperparts.
- Plain gray underparts.
- Long, rounded tail.
- Crown with thin light stripe down middle.
- Gray bill, pinkish.
- Eyes brown.
- Legs brownish.
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Sex Differences
Sexes look alike.
Immature
Juvenile lacks strong rufous of adult, and is streaked on chest.
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Range Map |
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Taxonomic Hierarchy |
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Kingdom: |
Animalia |
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Phylum: |
Chordata |
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Subphylum: |
Vertebrata |
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Class: |
Aves |
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Order: |
Passeriformes |
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Family: |
Emberizidae |
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Genus: |
Aimophila |
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Species: |
Aimophila ruficeps |
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Subspecies: |
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Aimophila ruficeps
australis
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Aimophila ruficeps boucardi
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Aimophila ruficeps
canescens
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Aimophila ruficeps duponti
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Aimophila ruficeps eremoeca
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Aimophila ruficeps extima
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Aimophila ruficeps fusca
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Aimophila ruficeps
laybournae
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Aimophila ruficeps obscura
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Aimophila ruficeps
pallidissima
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Aimophila ruficeps
phillipsi
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Aimophila ruficeps ruficeps
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Aimophila ruficeps rupicola
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Aimophila ruficeps
sanctorum
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Aimophila ruficeps scottii
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Aimophila ruficeps simulans
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Aimophila ruficeps sororia
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Aimophila ruficeps suttoni
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Sound |
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Song is a series of short clear notes or longer whistles,
followed by a trill. Calls include a very high "tzeet" and short
pips.
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Identification and
Information
See
Anatomy
of a Bird
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Body |
- Length
Range: 15 cm (6 in)
- Weight:
20 g (0.7 oz)
- Size:
2. Small (5 - 9 in)
- Color
Primary: Gray
- Underparts:
Gray
- Upperparts:
Gray-brown with red-brown streaking.
- Back
Pattern: Striped or streaked, Mottled
- Belly
Pattern: Solid
- Breast
Pattern: Solid
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Head |
- Bill Shape:
Cone
- Eye Color:
Brown or tan.
- Head
Pattern: Eyeline, Capped, Striped,
Eyering, Malar or malar stripe
- Crown Color:
Red-brown
- Forehead
Color: Red-brown
- Nape Color:
Red-brown
- Throat
Color: White
- Cere color:
No Data
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Flight |
- Flight
Pattern: Short flights., Alternates
several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to
sides.
- Wingspan
Range: 23 cm (9 in)
- Wing Shape:
Pointed-Wings
- Tail Shape:
Rounded Tail
- Tail
Pattern: Solid
- Upper Tail:
Dark Brown
- Under Tail:
Dark Brown
- Leg Color:
Pink-gray
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Breeding |
- Breeding Location:
Grasslands, Forests
- Breeding Type:
Monogamous, Solitary nester
- Breeding Population:
Common locally
- Egg Color:
White to pale blue
- Number of Eggs:
2 - 5
- Incubation Days:
11 - 13
- Egg Incubator:
Female
- Nest Material:
Bark, sticks, weeds, and grass., Lined with
mammal hair.
- Migration:
Nonmigratory
- Condition at Hatching: Helpless with sparse dark down.
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Other Names |
Similar Species |
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- Rufous-winged Sparrow is smaller, dusky
upper bill, pinkish lower mandible, and two thin black mustache
stripes on each side of bill.
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Conservation Status |
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Habitat loss from grazing and development has led to declines and
elimination of local Rufous-crowned Sparrow populations. |
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Habitat |
Sources used to
Construct this Page: |
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Inhabits open oak woodlands and dry uplands with grassy vegetation
and bushes, often near rocky outcrops. |
- P. E. Lowther, K. D. Groschupf, and S. M. Russell. 1999. Rufous-winged
Sparrow (Aimophila carpalis). In The Birds of
North America, No. 422 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of
North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
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Food |
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Seeds and arthropods. |
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Behavior |
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Pecks at ground and at bases of grass stems. |
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