Black-chinned Sparrow
Encyclopedia
The Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis) is a small sparrow
.
This passerine
bird
is generally found in chaparral
, sagebrush
, arid scrublands, and brushy hillsides, breeding in the Southwestern United States
(western Texas
to southern California
), and migrating
in winter to north-central Mexico
and Baja California Sur
. There is also a non-migratory population in central Mexico.
American sparrow
American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns....
.
This passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
is generally found in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
, arid scrublands, and brushy hillsides, breeding in the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
(western Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), and migrating
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
in winter to north-central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
. There is also a non-migratory population in central Mexico.
Book
- Tenney, C. R. 1997. Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis). In The Birds of North America, No. 270 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.
Articles
- Bolger DT, Scott TA & Rotenberry JT. (1997). Breeding bird abundance in an urbanizing landscape in coastal Southern California. Conservation Biology. vol 11, no 2. pp. 406–421.
- Willoughby EJ. (1991). Molt of the Genus Spizella Passeriformes Emberizidae in Relation to Ecological Factors Affecting Plumage Wear. Proceedings of the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology. vol 4, no 4. pp. 247–286.
- Zink RM & Dittmann DL. (1993). Population structure and gene flow in the chipping sparrow and a hypothesis for evolution in the genus Spizella. Wilson Bulletin. vol 105, no 3. pp. 399–413.
External links
- Black-chinned Sparrow photo gallery VIREO
- Black-chinned Sparrow photo gallery South Dakota Birds and Birding