The black-throated sparrow (''Amphispiza bilineata'') is a small
New World sparrow
New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns.
Although they share t ...
primarily found in the southwestern United States and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. It is the only member of the genus ''Amphispiza''; the
five-striped sparrow, formerly also classified in ''Amphispiza'', is now thought to be in the monotypic genus ''
Amphispizopsis''.
It is sometimes referred to as the desert sparrow, due to its preferred habitat of arid desert hillsides and scrub. This name usually refers to the
desert sparrow of Africa and Asia.
Description
Measurements:
* Length:
* Weight:
* Wingspan:
The black-throated sparrow is pale gray above, with a distinctive black and white head pattern. Immature birds are similar but lack a black throat. Its call is high and bell-like, and its song is a fairly simple, mechanical tinkling. It feeds primarily on insects and seeds, and travels in small groups, though larger groups may accumulate around sources of water in the desert.
It has a loose nest of grass twigs and plant fibers carefully hidden in brush above the ground. Three or four white or pale blue eggs are laid.
References
*
David Allen Sibley
David Allen Sibley (born October 22, 1961, in Plattsburgh, New York) is an American ornithologist. He is the author and illustrator of '' The Sibley Guide to Birds'', which rivals Roger Tory Peterson's as the most comprehensive guides for Nor ...
, ''The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America''.
External links
Black-throated sparrow - ''Amphispiza bilineata''- USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology
{{Taxonbar, from=Q526134
Native birds of the Western United States
Birds of Mexico
black-throated sparrow
The black-throated sparrow (''Amphispiza bilineata'') is a small New World sparrow primarily found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is the only member of the genus ''Amphispiza''; the five-striped sparrow, formerly also classifie ...
black-throated sparrow
The black-throated sparrow (''Amphispiza bilineata'') is a small New World sparrow primarily found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is the only member of the genus ''Amphispiza''; the five-striped sparrow, formerly also classifie ...
American sparrows
Passerellidae