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Sage Sparrow

Amphispiza belliOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)
Codes: Common Name: SAGS Scientific Name: AMPBEL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179402
Least Concern
 
Sage Sparrow Breeding Male
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
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.

Overview

Sage Sparrow: Medium sparrow, dark-streaked brown back, white underparts with central breast spot, streaks on sides. Gray head has white patch in front of eye. White throat has dark moustache stripe. Brown wings, two faint bars. Long tail is dark, white edged. Coastal form is darker.

Range and Habitat

Sage Sparrow: Breeds from Washington south to Baja California and throughout the Great Basin. Spends winters in small flocks in low desert of southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas, south into Mexico. Found in sagebrush flats, alkaline flats with saltbush, and semi-desert shrublands in the lowlands.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"twee-si-tity-slip", "tik", "tik-tik"

Interesting Facts

 The Sage Sparrow spends much of its time on the ground, running between shrubs with its tail raised in the air.

 Five subspecies are recognized. The three nonmigratory subspecies found in coastal California and Baja California were once collectively considered a separate species, "Bell's Sparrow."

 The species name (belli) refers to John Graham Bell, a taxidermist who traveled with Audubon to the Yellowstone River.

 A group of sparrows has many collective nouns, including a "crew", "flutter", "meinie", "quarrel", and "ubiquity" of sparrows.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Samira Belous

Splitbar
Range Map for Sage Sparrow

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Family Buntings, Finches, Sparrows (Emberizidae)_blue
Species Amphispiza belli
Length6.25 Inches
Wingspan8.25 Inches

Sage Sparrow

Sage Sparrow: Medium sparrow, dark-streaked brown back, white underparts with central breast spot, streaks on sides. Gray head has white patch in front of eye. White throat has dark moustache stripe. Brown wings, two faint bars. Long tail is dark, white edged. Coastal form is darker.

● Song: "twee-si-tity-slip", "tik", "tik-tik"

● Foraging & Feeding: Sage Sparrow: Feeds on insects and seeds; forages mainly on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Sage Sparrow: Two to five pale blue eggs marked with dark brown and black are laid in a loose cup of sagebrush pieces, twigs, grass, and bark chips and lined with grass, forbs, feathers, fur, and seeds. Nest is well hidden in a shrub, usually less than 4 feet above the ground. Incubation ranges from 12 to 16 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Sage Sparrow: Black-throated Sparrow has a black throat.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.
Sage Sparrow Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Sage Sparrow: Breeds from Washington south to Baja California and throughout the Great Basin. Spends winters in small flocks in low desert of southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas, south into Mexico. Found in sagebrush flats, alkaline flats with saltbush, and semi-desert shrublands in the lowlands.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
Population
MigrationMost migrate
Weight0.7 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
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