Cabanis's ground sparrow

Cabanis's ground sparrow (Melozone cabanisi) or the Costa Rican ground sparrow, is a bird species of the Passerellidae family. It previously was considered a subspecies of the Prevost's ground sparrow.

Cabanis's ground sparrow
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Passerellidae
Genus:	Melozone
Species:	M. cabanisi
Binomial name
Melozone cabanisi (Sclater & Salvin, 1868)
Synonyms
Melozone biarcuata cabanisi

Cabanis's ground sparrow is endemic to central Costa Rica. It is ranked as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN due to its small range on the Meseta Central which has seen increased urban development in recent decades. Though it persists in altered habitats like coffee plantations, the sparrow has a limited distribution and the population is relatively small, estimated at only between 2958 and 11,832 mature individuals.^[2] It is also believed to be decreasing in number.

Description

It is on average 15 cm long and weighs 28 g. The adult has a stubby dark-grey bill, unstreaked olive-brown upperparts, a rufous crown and mainly white underparts. Young birds are browner above, have yellower underparts, and a duller indistinct head pattern. The rufous of the crown extends to behind the eye and is bordered on its anterior edge with black. This black border is broken by a white eye ring. The forehead is white, bordered below with a thin black line; there is a black malar stripe, and a black central breast patch.