Family: Emberizidae, New World Sparrows view all from this family

Description 6 1/4-7" (16-18 cm). A ground-dwelling species, smaller than the other towhees. Rufous cap; olive green above; white throat and belly; gray breast. White lores and dark "mustache" stripe. Yellow wing linings. Sexes similar.

Habitat Sagebrush, mountain chaparral, pinyon-juniper stands, and thickets bordering alpine meadows.

Nesting 4 heavily spotted white eggs in a rather loosely built nest on the ground or in low, protected sites such as chaparral, juniper, or yucca.

Range Breeds from central Oregon south through mountains to southern California and Great Basin to southeastern New Mexico. Winters at lower elevations and south to southern Arizona and central and southern Texas. Also in Mexico.

Voice   Song a loud, lively series of slurred notes and short, buzzy trills. Call a short, nasal mew.

Discussion This shy bird hops and scratches for food under low cover, flicking its tail and raising its rufous cap into a crest. It prefers low scrub and occurs in brushy openings in boreal forests on western mountains, as well as in sagebrush habitats.