Clay-colored Sparrow
Spizella pallida
Their song is so mechanical and buzzy that it is often mistaken for the sound of an insect, like a cicada or grasshopper.
- Scientific name
- Spizella pallida
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Passerellidae › Spizella
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Shrubby fields, brushy grasslands, and forest edges with thick undergrowth.
- Diet
- Primarily seeds in winter; shifts to insects like grasshoppers and beetles during the breeding season.
- Range
- Canada, United States, Mexico
- Size
- 12-14 cm in length; wingspan of approximately 19 cm.
- Lifespan
- 4-6 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to intensive agriculture and collisions with man-made glass structures during migration.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These birds are shy and easily startled; maintain a respectful distance of 10-15 feet. Do not disturb low-lying shrubs during nesting season to protect their delicate ground-adjacent nests.
The clay-colored sparrow or clay-coloured sparrow ( Spizella pallida ) is a small sparrow of North America.
Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago, CC0, via iNaturalist
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