Stripe-headed Sparrow
Encyclopedia
The Stripe-headed Sparrow, Peucaea ruficauda, is an American sparrow
which breeds from Pacific
coastal southwestern Mexico
, including the transverse ranges, Cordillera Neovolcanica to pacific coastal northern Costa Rica
.
This common bird is found in lowlands up to 1800 m altitude in the north of its range, and 800 m in Costa Rica. Its habitat is brushy savanna, scrubby second growth and woodland edges, but it avoids the forest interior.
The nest, built by the female, is a deep cup of plant material lined with fine grasses or horsehair. It is constructed less than 1.2 m above the ground in an isolated spiny scrub. The female lays two to four unmarked pale blue eggs, which she incubates for 12–14 days. The whole group helps in feeding the chicks, and roost together in a tight group at night.
The Stripe-headed Sparrow is a large, long-tailed species, 15.5–18 cm long and weighing up to 35 g. The adult has a black head with broad white stripes on the crown and above each eye. The nape is narrowly grey and the rest of the upperparts are pale brown, streaked with black on the back, but unstreaked and more buff on the rump and tail. The shoulders are rufous and the wing feathers have buff edging. The throat and underparts are white, becoming buff on the flanks and with a grey breast.
Young birds have a duller, indistinct head pattern, with buff stripes and a brown ground colour, and have streaked breasts.
There are four subspecies, which, in general, become larger and brighter from north to south. Thus the northernmost form, P. r. acuminata , is smaller than the nominate Costa Rican subspecies ruficauda, has duller, browner upperparts, and paler, whiter underparts.
The Stripe-headed Sparrow has a group vocalisation of chattering squeaks. The male’s song, given from an open perch, consists of dry thin notes, but shows geographical variation. Nominate ruficauda has a dry trill, and acuminata a series of pechew double notes.
The Stripe-headed Sparrow feeds on the ground mainly on grass seeds, but also takes some small insect
s and spider
s. It is usually in family groups or small flocks of up to seven birds. The flight is low and fluttery, with the tail held low,
American sparrow
American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns....
which breeds from Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coastal southwestern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, including the transverse ranges, Cordillera Neovolcanica to pacific coastal northern Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
This common bird is found in lowlands up to 1800 m altitude in the north of its range, and 800 m in Costa Rica. Its habitat is brushy savanna, scrubby second growth and woodland edges, but it avoids the forest interior.
The nest, built by the female, is a deep cup of plant material lined with fine grasses or horsehair. It is constructed less than 1.2 m above the ground in an isolated spiny scrub. The female lays two to four unmarked pale blue eggs, which she incubates for 12–14 days. The whole group helps in feeding the chicks, and roost together in a tight group at night.
The Stripe-headed Sparrow is a large, long-tailed species, 15.5–18 cm long and weighing up to 35 g. The adult has a black head with broad white stripes on the crown and above each eye. The nape is narrowly grey and the rest of the upperparts are pale brown, streaked with black on the back, but unstreaked and more buff on the rump and tail. The shoulders are rufous and the wing feathers have buff edging. The throat and underparts are white, becoming buff on the flanks and with a grey breast.
Young birds have a duller, indistinct head pattern, with buff stripes and a brown ground colour, and have streaked breasts.
There are four subspecies, which, in general, become larger and brighter from north to south. Thus the northernmost form, P. r. acuminata , is smaller than the nominate Costa Rican subspecies ruficauda, has duller, browner upperparts, and paler, whiter underparts.
The Stripe-headed Sparrow has a group vocalisation of chattering squeaks. The male’s song, given from an open perch, consists of dry thin notes, but shows geographical variation. Nominate ruficauda has a dry trill, and acuminata a series of pechew double notes.
The Stripe-headed Sparrow feeds on the ground mainly on grass seeds, but also takes some small insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s. It is usually in family groups or small flocks of up to seven birds. The flight is low and fluttery, with the tail held low,
External links
- Photo-High Res; Article bafrenz.com
- Stripe-headed Sparrow photo gallery VIREO
