Five-striped Sparrow

Basic Description

The boldly marked Five-striped Sparrow is a standout in the often drab world of sparrows. This hefty, large-billed skulker actually has seven stripes on the head—a white line over each eye plus the namesake five stripes that span the bird’s throat. Both sexes show rich chestnut upperparts, crisp gray and white below, and a black spot on the breast. Five-striped Sparrows inhabit dense, thorny vegetation on dry hillsides in northwestern Mexico and southeastern Arizona, where they forage close to the ground for caterpillars and other insects.