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Bird name:

Black-throated Sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Code 4

BTSP

Code 6

AMPBIL

ITIS

179395

Breeding Location:

Bushes, shrubs, and thickets, Desert, Desert, semi



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester



Breeding Population:

Fairly common



Egg Color:

White or light blue



Number of Eggs:

2 - 4



Incubation Days:

12 - 15



Egg Incubator:

Female



Nest Material:

Forbs and dried grasses with lining of rootlets and mammal hair.



Migration:

Northern birds migrate



RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

General

Black-throated Sparrow: Medium-sized sparrow with gray-brown upperparts, unstreaked, white underparts, and a black bib. Head has dark gray cap and sharply contrasting white eyebrow and cheek stripe. Long, round-tipped tail is edged with white. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has streaked upper breast and lacks black bib.

Range and Habitat

Black-throated Sparrow: Breeds from northeastern California, southwestern Wyoming, and southeastern Colorado southward. Spends winters north to the desert regions of the southern U.S. Preferred habitats include deserts and scrublands.

Breeding and Nesting

Black-throated Sparrow: Two to four white or light blue eggs are laid in a loosely built nest made of bark strips, grass, and stems, lined with wool, hair, or feathers, and built in a thorny bush. Incubation ranges from 12 to 15 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Black-throated Sparrow: Feeds on seeds during winter and insects during breeding season. Also consumes grass and herbs. Gravel is sometimes ingested to aid in digestion; forages on the ground.

Readily Eats

Safflower, Apple Slices, Suet, Millet, Peanut Kernels, Fruit

Vocalization

Black-throated Sparrow: Song is comprised of two clear notes followed by a buzzing trill.

Similar Species

Black-throated Sparrow: Sage and Five-striped sparrows have white throats.

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UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
CapX
The area on top of the head of the bird.
EyebrowX
Also called the supercilicum or superciliary it is the arch of feathers over each eye.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX