Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Aimophila ruficeps Order: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Codes: Common Name: RCSP Scientific Name: AIMRUP ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179377

Breeding Location:

Grasslands, Forests

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Common locally

Egg Color:

White to pale blue

Number of Eggs:

2 - 5

Incubation Days:

11 - 13

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Bark, sticks, weeds, and grass., Lined with mammal hair.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Medium-sized sparrow with gray-brown upperparts streaked with red-brown; underparts are gray. Head has rufous crown, gray face, rufous eye-line, and thick, black moustache stripe. Wings are brown and lack bars. Tail is long and rounded. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has brown crown and streaks on breast and flanks.

Range and Habitat

Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Resident from California, southern Arizona, and southern New Mexico east to Texas and central Oklahoma. Inhabits open oak woodlands and dry uplands with grassy vegetation and bushes, often near rocky outcrops.

Breeding and Nesting

Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Two to five white to pale blue eggs are laid in a neat cup nest made of grass, sticks, and bark pieces, lined with grass and mammal hair, and built on the ground or low in a tree or bush. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Feeds on insects and seeds; forages by walking or hopping slowly on the ground or in low bushes, often feeds in pairs or small family groups.

Readily Eats

Sunflower Seed, Commercial Mixed Bird Seed

Vocalization

Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Song is a series of quick, gurgling "chip-chip" notes, accelerating at the end. Call is an abrasive "deer."

Similar Species

Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Rufous-winged Sparrow has rufous shoulder patches, paler underparts, thinner moustache stripe, and different song.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Medium sparrow with gray-brown upperparts streaked with red-brown; underparts are gray. Head has rufous crown, gray face, rufous eye-line, and thick, black moustache stripe. Wings are brown and lack bars. Tail is long and rounded. Legs and feet are pink-gray.

● Song: "chip-chip", "deer"

● Foraging & Feeding: Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Feeds on insects and seeds; forages by walking or hopping slowly on the ground or in low bushes, often feeds in pairs or small family groups.

● Breeding & nesting: Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Two to five white to pale blue eggs are laid in a neat cup nest made of grass, sticks, and bark pieces, lined with grass and mammal hair, and built on the ground or low in a tree or bush. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Rufous-winged Sparrow has rufous shoulder patches, paler underparts, thinner moustache stripe, and different song.

Flight Pattern

Short flights., Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

Rufous-crowned Sparrow Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Rufous-crowned Sparrow: Resident from California, southern Arizona, and southern New Mexico east to Texas and central Oklahoma. Inhabits open oak woodlands and dry uplands with grassy vegetation and bushes, often near rocky outcrops.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationCommon locally

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight0.7 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America