Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.1–5.5 in
13–14 cm - Wingspan
- 8.3 in
21 cm - Weight
- 0.5–0.6 oz
13–17 g
Other Names
- Bruant à épaulettes, Pinson à épaulettes rousses (French)
- Zacatonero ala rufa, Gorrión alirrojo (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Rufous-winged Sparrow pairs remain on their territories year-round and stay bonded for life.
- The Rufous-winged Sparrow was first described in 1872 from specimens taken in Arizona. From 1886 to 1915 it was not recorded in the state.
- The Rufous-winged Sparrow may depend more on rainfall as a stimulus for nesting than any other North American bird. It typically nests after summer rains have begun, often building a nest and laying its first egg within five or six days after the first rain.
Habitat
Scrub
Thorn scrub and arid grasslands.
Food
Insects
Seeds and arthropods.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- Pale bluish or green, with no markings.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with sparse dark down.
Nest Description
A solid, deep cup made of coarse grasses, placed in a fork in a branch of a low bush.
Nest Placement
Shrub
Behavior
Ground Forager
Pecks at ground and at bases of grass stems.
Conservation
Least Concern
Habitat loss from grazing and development has led to declines and elimination of local Rufous-winged Sparrow populations.
Credits
- P. E. Lowther, K. D. Groschupf, and S. M. Russell. 1999. Rufous-winged Sparrow (Aimophila carpalis). In The Birds of North America, No. 422 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.