The sagebrush sparrow (''Artemisiospiza nevadensis'') is a medium-sized

sparrow Sparrow may refer to: Birds * Old World sparrows, family Passeridae * New World sparrows, family Passerellidae * two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae: ** Java sparrow ** Timor sparrow * Hedge sparrow, also known as the dunnock or hedg ...

of the western United States and northwestern

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 Guate ...

. It used to be placed in the genus ''Amphispiza'', but evidence from 2007 and 2009 suggested it be placed in its own genus.Klicka and Spellman, 2007; DaCosta et al., 2009

Habitat

Sagebrush sparrows are indeed often tied to sagebrush habitats, although they can also be found in brushy stands of saltbush, chamise, and other low shrubs of the arid interior west. The species breeds in the interior of the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

(between the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

and the coastal ranges such as the Cascades). It winters in the Mexican-border states and northern

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

and

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

. The habitat of sagebrush sparrows is frequently threatened by bush encroachment or the invasion of herbaceous plants.

Population

Although sagebrush sparrow numbers are generally strong, significant declines in sagebrush habitat in the west could be expected to decrease populations in the near future. The sagebrush sparrow, together with the Bell's sparrow, were considered conspecific and known as the sage sparrow before being split by the

American Ornithological Society The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

in 2013.

References

* Klicka, J., and G. M. Spellman. 2007. A molecular evaluation of the North American “grassland” sparrow clade. ''Auk'' 124:537–551. * DaCosta, J. M., G. M. Spellman, P. Escalante, and J. Klicka. 2009. A molecular systematic revision of two historically problematic songbird clades: Aimophila and Pipilo. ''Journal of Avian Biology'' 40:206–216. {{Taxonbar, from=Q16326572 sagebrush sparrow Native birds of the Western United States Native birds of the Southwestern United States Birds of the Great Basin Birds of Mexico Fauna of the Colorado Desert Fauna of the Sonoran Desert Fauna of the Chihuahuan Desert Fauna of the Great Basin sagebrush sparrow Taxa named by Robert Ridgway