Rufous-winged sparrow
Rufous-winged sparrow | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Passerellidae |
Genus: | Peucaea |
Species: | P. carpalis
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Binomial name | |
Peucaea carpalis Coues, 1873
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Subspecies | |
Peucaea carpalis carpalis | |
Synonyms[2] | |
Aimophila carpalis |
The rufous-winged sparrow (Peucaea carpalis) is a medium-small, long-tailed New World sparrow with a gray face and rusty crown and supercilium; the rufous lesser coverts of the wing for which it is named are often concealed.
Description
The back is brown with darker streaks, while the belly is pale gray. The wings and crown are rust-colored. This sparrow has a conical, yellow-based bill and a long brown tail.
Distribution and habitat
Peucaea carpalis is a year-round resident from south-central Arizona and Guadalupe Canyon, New Mexico, south to northern Sinaloa, Mexico.
The rufous-winged sparrow inhabits desert
Diet
During the breeding season, adult rufous-winged sparrows feed on a variety of insects, caught on the wing or gleaned off plant surfaces. At other times, the bird eats seeds.
Breeding
Rufous-winged sparrows usually breed during the monsoon months of July and August. The nest is built low in small trees, bushes, or cactus, including hackberry, palo verde, cholla, and mesquite. The average clutch size is four; pairs may have two broods per year.
Status
This species is listed as a migratory bird under the
History in Pima County, Arizona
The rufous-winged sparrow in
By the late 1880s, the species was probably extirpated from Arizona, perhaps as a result of overgrazing. The species began to recover in the United States around 1936, and is now found in appropriate habitat throughout much of eastern Pima County, Santa Cruz County, and western Cochise County. Loss of habitat as a result of overgrazing and urban development is believed to have had the greatest effect on populations.
References
- . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Peucaea carpalis". Avibase.
- "Aimophila carpalis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 24 February 2009.