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Emberizids

58 Bird Species

Field Sparrow

This long-tailed sparrow is recognized by its pink bill, legs and feet. Upperparts are warm brown with darker streaks and two inconspicuous whitish wing bars. The rump is gray-brown. The face and nape are gray, with a white eye ring, rufous crown, and a less distinct rufous line behind the eye. Under more...

Length: 12 cm Wingspan: 22 cm

Five-striped Sparrow

This sparrow is recognized by its dark coloring, large bill, and distinct facial pattern. Plain dark brown above, dark gray below, with a black spot on the breast. The belly fades to whitish. The face is dark with a prominent white supercilium, broken white eye ring, white moustachial stripes, and a more...

Length: 14 cm Wingspan: 23 cm

Fox Sparrow

This sparrow shows extreme variation across its range. In all plumages, note the bulky build, streaks on the breast and sides formed by rows of triangles or chevrons. While up to 18 subspecies have been described, these fit into four main subspecies groups. Some consider these four subspecies groups more...

Length: 15 cm Wingspan: 27 cm

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Large and long-tailed. Upperparts are warm brown streaked with black. Wings are reddish-brown with two white wing bars. The rump is plain gray-brown. Underparts are pale gray, washed with buffy brown on the sides and flanks. In alternate plumage, the face is plain gray with a broad black crown bisect more...

Length: 15 cm Wingspan: 25 cm

Grasshopper Sparrow

A small grassland sparrow with a flat head, large bill, and short pointed tail. Upperparts show intricate patterns of black, chestnut, and buff, usually with significant amounts of rufous on the tertials. The dark crown has a whitish median stripe. An indistinct dark line behind the eye joins a ragge more...

Length: 11 cm Wingspan: 20 cm

Gray Bunting

Large dark gray bunting with heavy pinkish bill. Adult male: Dark grayish plumage overall. Dark eye. Dark streaks on back. Dark wing feathers with pale gray edges giving wings a striped look. Dark tail. Pink legs. Adult female: Brownish overall. Pale gray-brown face with darker brown cheek patch, cro more...

Length: 17 cm Wingspan: 32 cm

Green-tailed Towhee

While the plumage of this species is distinctive, it, like other towhees, spends much of its time hidden in heavy cover. Upperparts are drab greenish gray to fairly bright olive green. The face and underparts are gray, fading to whitish on the belly. The head has a rufous crown, white spot above the more...

Length: 18 cm Wingspan: 25 cm

Harris's Sparrow

This sparrow is distinguished by its overall large size, long tail, and pink bill. Upperparts are buffy brown with dark streaks on the back and two narrow white wing bars. Underparts are white with dark streaks on the sides and flanks. In alternate plumage, the crown, lores, throat, and upper breast more...

Length: 17 cm Wingspan: 26 cm

Henslow's Sparrow

This shy little sparrow of the tall-grass prairie is flat-headed, large-billed, and has a short pointed tail. The crown is blackish with a buffy median stripe. The face and nape are drab olive, with a blackish triangular spot at the rear of the auriculars, a thin white eye ring, and a buffy malar str more...

Length: 12 cm Wingspan: 18 cm

Lapland Longspur

In all plumages, this species is distinguished by rufous greater wing coverts and tertial edges, and by the white outermost set of tail feathers. The primary projection is quite long, with the primary tips evenly spaced. Alternate Male: Black covers the crown, face, and breast, highlighted by a whiti more...

Length: 15 cm Wingspan: 27 cm

Lark Bunting

This bulky sparrow of the Great Plains has a large head with a heavy blue-gray bill. In all plumages, note the extensive white in the greater wing coverts--appears as a white wing patch in flight--and white tips on outer tail feathers. Alternate Male: Unmistakable. Black overall with a large white pa more...

Length: 14 cm Wingspan: 28 cm

Lark Sparrow

This sparrow is instantly recognized by its bold facial and tail patterns. Upperparts are buffy brown with dark streaks, two indistinct buffy wing bars, and a buffy patch at the base of the primaries. The long, rounded tail usually fans out in flight; it is dark overall with white outer tail feathers more...

Length: 15 cm Wingspan: 27 cm

Le Conte's Sparrow

A secretive little sparrow with a small bill, short pointed tail, and buffy-orange face. Crown is blackish with white median stripe. Buffy-orange supercilium and malar areas surround gray auriculars. Blackish line behind eye. The nape is gray with fine chestnut streaks. Upperparts boldly striped dark more...

Length: 11 cm Wingspan: 17 cm

Lincoln's Sparrow

This little sparrow, which suggests an undersized Song Sparrow, is recognized by its fine streaking and extensive areas of gray and buff. Upperparts are gray-brown with fine black streaks on the back and rufous edges on the wing feathers. The somewhat angular crown is dark brown with black streaks an more...

Length: 13 cm Wingspan: 18 cm

Little Bunting

Small bunting with crisply-streaked white underparts. Alternate Adult: Warm chestnut-colored face and auriculars framed with black on back half; note small tan ear spot. Dark eye with narrow but conspicuous white eye-ring. Tan supercilium behind eye. Warm chestnut colored medium crown stripe with bro more...

Length: 13 cm Wingspan: 21 cm

McCown's Longspur

Alternate Adult male is gray overall with rufous shoulders, half moon-shaped black breast patch, stubby black bill, white throat, white supercilium, and whitish face. Basic Adult male and Alternate Adult female are grayish-brown, with streaky brown back, limited rufous in wing coverts, plain brown un more...

Length: 15 cm Wingspan: 28 cm

Non-vegetated Areas

1 species

Snow Bunting

Plectrophenax nivalis

Bare Rocky Slopes, Beaches, Coastal Dunes, Open Country and Grasslands

Salt Water

9 species

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

Beaches, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

McKay's Bunting

Plectrophenax hyperboreus

Rocky Shores, Beaches, Open Country and Grasslands

Nelson's Sparrow

Ammospiza nelsoni

Saltmarshes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands

Saltmarsh Sparrow

Ammospiza caudacuta

Saltmarshes

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Rocky Shores, Coastal Dunes, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Seaside Sparrow

Ammospiza maritima

Saltmarshes

Snow Bunting

Plectrophenax nivalis

Bare Rocky Slopes, Beaches, Coastal Dunes, Open Country and Grasslands

Song Sparrow

Melospiza melodia

Coastal Dunes, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Saltmarshes, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Chapparal, Clearcuts, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia, Thickets

Swamp Sparrow

Melospiza georgiana

Estuaries and Bays, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Northern Wooded Swamps, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia, Thickets

Human-altered Areas

12 species

American Tree Sparrow

Spizella arborea

Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia

California Towhee

Melozone crissalis

Suburban/residential Landscapes, Shrubby Slopes, Chapparal, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

Suburban/residential Landscapes, Boreal Forest, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands

Dark-eyed Junco

Junco hyemalis

Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Clearcuts, Boreal Forest, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia, Thickets