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Black-throated sparrow
Species of bird From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 classified in Amphispiza, is now thought to be in the monotypic genus Amphispizopsis.[2]
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.
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Description
Measurements:[3]
- Length: 4.7–5.5 in (12–14 cm)
- Weight: 0.4–0.5 oz (11–14 g)
- Wingspan: 7.7 inches (20 cm)
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 6–18 inches (15–46 cm) above the ground. Black-throated sparrows are habitat-generalist species, using a wide range of plants as habitats to build their nests in.[4] However, they find less breeding success in lower-climate habitats like mesquite,[5] perhaps due to human-caused climate change.[6] Three or four white or pale blue eggs are laid.
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Diet
The black-throated sparrow's diet consists of bugs during the mating season and seeds during the non-breeding season.[citation needed] They mainly forage on the ground around bushes and cacti and sometimes glean food from leaves and twigs.[citation needed]
References
External links
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