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

Description 5-6" (13-15 cm). Gray above; white belly with small black midbreast spot. Back and sides striped, wings lighter with buff-colored feather edges that also form 2 wing bars. Pronounced white eye ring. Gray cheek, white eyebrow, black "mustache" stripe. Immatures browner and have white throat and fine dark streaking on buff breast and belly.

Endangered Status The San Clemente Sage Sparrow, a subspecies of the Sage Sparrow, is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as threatened in California. This species lives only on San Clemente Island, in the Channel Islands. Its numbers declined rapidly when feral goats and pigs, introduced to the island, destroyed vegetation that the bird lives in. The feral grazers have been removed and the island vegetation is slowly recovering. The sparrow's numbers appear to have begun to climb slowly as a result of these recovery efforts.

Habitat Sagebrush, chaparral, dry foothills.

Nesting 3 or 4 bluish-white, speckled eggs in a loose cup built of sagebrush pieces, lined with fur, and well hidden in sagebrush or other scrub.

Range Breeds from Washington south to Baja California and throughout Great Basin. Winters in small flocks in low desert of southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas, south into Mexico.

Voice   Song is a short pattern of finch-like jumbling notes, rising, then falling. Call is a soft tinkling.

Discussion The Sage Sparrow is secretive, moving under cover rapidly when approached, except during the spring breeding season, when males sing from a sagebrush perch to announce their territory. It has a habit of flicking its tail while hopping around on the ground.