#artemisiospiza nevadensis

[squawkoverflow]

A new variant has been added!

Sagebrush Sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) © Ad Konings

It hatches from brown, central, dark, distinct, extensive, indistinct, low, mechanical, musical, narrow, overall, pale, same, sandy, similar, western, and whitish eggs.

squawkoverflow - the ultimate bird collecting game          🥚 hatch    ❤️ collect     🤝 connect

[dendroica]

Hawks, Sparrows, Flycatchers: Meet the Birds of the Sagebrush Country

The sagebrush ecosystem the Greater Sage-Grouse depends on is considered one of the most imperiled in the U.S. This expansive, treeless landscape teems with sagebrush, wildflowers, and native grasses, but it now covers only half of its former range. Meet a few of the birds that, like the sage-grouse, rely on this unique habitat to survive. (And read more about efforts to conserve the grouse.)

Sagebrush Sparrow

The medium-sized Sagebrush Sparrow is found mostly on the ground or hidden in shrubs. Research published in the Journal of Wildlife Management showed that Sagebrush Sparrows and Brewer's Sparrows declined significantly in Wyoming's Upper Green Basin as the number of natural gas wells in the area increased, suggesting that the region's songbirds could also be affected by increased energy development.

Brewer's Sparrow

The smallest North American sparrow, the Brewer's Sparrow is considered an especially sensitive species. Reports show that the bird has been steadily declining over the last few decades despite once being among the most abundant birds in the large area known as the Intermountain West, which stretches from Washington to Colorado.

Much like the sage-grouse, fragmentation and loss of sagebrush habitat is a key threat to this bird. Research shows that these sparrows are more abundant near large sage-grouse leks, suggesting that conservation of breeding habitat for sage-grouse could also benefit this sparrow.

Sage Thrasher

This species is considered at risk largely due to loss of or damage to its breeding habitat caused by oil and gas development, agriculture, and the spread of invasive plants. A recent study by researchers at the University of Wyoming showed that gas fields in western Wyoming tend to attract rodents, which prey on the nests of Sage Thrashers and other sagebrush-obligate birds, resulting in population declines.

(read more)

[spideymoth]

Gorgeous little Sagebrush Sparrow from near Vantage, WA yesterday morning! It was very windy, but this sparrow -- one of two present -- showed off unusually well.

[calochortus]

Sagebrush Sparrow, Artemisiospiza nevadensis by jlcummins - Washington State Via Flickr: Photographed at L.T. Murray Wildlife Area, Whiskey Dick Unit, Kittitas County, Washington. IMG_2268

[wigmund]

From American Bird Conservancy Bird of the Week; September 22, 2017:

Sagebrush Sparrow

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Artemisiospiza nevadensis POPULATION: 4.7 million TREND: Decreasing HABITAT: Arid shrub-steppe landscapes, especially of sagebrush and other low shrubs

“Throughout the arid West the Americans have found a secret treasure … a stern and desolate country, a high bare country, a country brimming with a beauty not to be found elsewhere.”

So wrote Bernard DeVoto, a historian of the American West, in 1943.

One of the treasures of sage country is Sagebrush Sparrow, with the male's trilling song and bell-like tink call (given by both sexes). Although fairly common in suitable habitat, this species is frequently overlooked because of its habit of staying on the ground and under cover.

Like Greater Sage-Grouse, Sagebrush Sparrows require healthy sagebrush for successful breeding — so much so that the birds will abandon degraded sage habitats. According to the Sage Grouse Initiative, only 56 percent of the sagebrush ecosystem remains, making it one of our most endangered habitats.

Sagebrush Sparrow was once lumped with a West Coast species, Bell's Sparrow, into a single species known as the Sage Sparrow. The species was split by the American Ornithologists' Union in 2013 on the basis of genetic, morphologic, and ecological differences.

Bird of the Western Interior

This bird breeds in the interior of the western United States, between the Rocky Mountains and the western coastal mountain ranges such as the Cascades. It winters in the Mexican border states and northern Sonora and Chihuahua.

Across its range, overgrazing and the presence of cheatgrass and other invasive plants are two of the main threats to this species' habitat. In addition to habitat loss, fragmentation can make it easier for the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird to find and lay eggs in the sparrows' nests, with the larger cowbird fledglings out-competing the sparrows.

Sagebrush Sparrows tend to stay faithful to their home ranges, returning year after year to the same areas both during the nesting season and on the wintering grounds.

Desert Dweller

Omnivorous and opportunistic during the breeding season, Sagebrush Sparrows feed on beetles, grasshoppers and other insects, spiders, seeds, small fruits, and succulent vegetation. During the nonbreeding season, the Sagebrush Sparrow feeds mostly on seeds.

Sagebrush Sparrow by Glenn Bartley

Like Grasshopper Sparrow, this species forages primarily on ground, usually near or under the edges of shrubs. It also gleans prey from lower stems of shrubs and leaves. As a desert-dwelling species, it gets most of its water from food.

Sagebrush Sparrows usually hop or walk on the ground while foraging, often with tails raised in the air. When perched, they twitch their tails in an up-and-down motion like a phoebe.

Saving Sagebrush — and Sagebrush Sparrow

Although the Sagebrush Sparrow is still considered fairly common, studies of its winter range and habitat preferences are incomplete. These areas, along with availability of suitable stopover sites, may prove to be limiting factors on the species' population.

Through our BirdScapes approach to migratory bird conservation, American Bird Conservancy is working to address the challenges that Sagebrush Sparrow and other birds face across their full annual life-cycles, whether on the breeding grounds, wintering grounds, or in between.

Our work with Pronature Noreste in northern Mexico helps ranchers manage their grasslands to benefit birds like Sagebrush Sparrow, Baird's Sparrow, and Worthen's Sparrow — a species found only in Mexico's Chihuahuan Desert.

Our work for Greater Sage-Grouse also benefits the Sagebrush Sparrow. We continue to advocate for keeping strong management plans for the grouse in place, including protection of the large, intact sagebrush stands needed by both grouse and sparrow.

[northwestnaturalist]

Sage Sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) Emberizidae

Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park, WA April 7, 2013 Robert Niese

Washington is home to the northernmost populations of Sage Sparrows in North America. These birds are sagebrush and chaparral obligates and are threatened throughout the state as these ecosystems get converted into range lands.

[squawkoverflow]

Desert Sparrow (Passer simplex)

Nevada Sage Sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis)

California Sage Sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis canescens)

Bell's Sparrow (Artemisiospiza belli)

The Birds of California (1923)

[dendroica]

Sagebrush Sparrow on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (via USFWS Mountain-Prairie)

Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS

[dendroica]

Sagebrush sparrow on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (via USFWS Mountain-Prairie)

Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS

[spideymoth]

Sagebrush Sparrow doing a fine ninja impression!