Botteri's Sparrow Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A small songbird (but rather large for a sparrow), with a flat head, a heavy bill, and a rather long tail.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Chipping Sparrow, smaller than a White-throated Sparrow.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.9-6.7 in (15-17 cm)
    • Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (17-26 g)
    • Wingspan: 8.7 in (22 cm)

  © Arlene Ripley / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adults are streaky gray-brown to russet above (paler in Texas birds) and pale buffy or creamy below. They have a brownish crown, a thin brownish eyestripe, and a pale throat. Juveniles are brownish above and buffy with strong streaking below.

• Behavior

  Forages mostly on the ground for insects and seeds. Sometimes chases rapidly after insects. Males perch prominently when singing; otherwise both sexes are mostly terrestrial and difficult to see, freezing or fleeing on foot when disturbed.
• Habitat

  Birds from Arizona and interior Mexico nest in semidesert grassland, especially swales with giant sacaton (bunchgrass). Along the Texas and Mexico coasts, individuals nest in Gulf coastal prairie or pastureland with scattered shrubs.