Sagebrush Sparrow
Scientific Name:
Artemisiospiza nevadensis
Type:
Bird
Habitat:
Sagebrush
Range:
Great Basin
Status:
No listed status
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Sagebrush sparrows and Bell’s sparrows were considered to be the same species called, “Sage Sparrows.” In 2013 they were divided into two different species. Sagebrush sparrows are medium-sized gray-brown songbirds. They have relatively long tails that are slightly darker than the rest of their bodies. Sagebrush sparrows are noted to have a distinct white spot before each eye and white chin feathers. Sagebrush sparrows are seen on the ground where they forage with their tails in an upright position.
Fast Facts:
Sagebrush sparrows winter in the southwest portion of the United States where they are then seen alongside the very similar Bell’s sparrow.
Sagebrush sparrows build their nests close to the ground (under 4 feet) in the denser parts of shrubs.
Sagebrush sparrows eat mostly seeds when they are not breeding.
Sagebrush sparrows live in areas around the Great Basin where they are observed foraging on the ground underneath native sagebrush and other bushes for insects and seeds. The sagebrush habitat needs to be undisturbed for sagebrush sparrows to make homes, raise families, forage correctly.
Sagebrush sparrows are reported to have one of the largest ranges of any other sparrow.
Sagebrush sparrows may be seen in larger parks where there is low growing brush, including sagebrush, and not a lot of disturbance of the habitat.
Sources:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds, Sagebrush Sparrow, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sagebrush_Sparrow/overview
The National Audubon Society, Audubon Field Guide, Sagebrush Sparrow, https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/sagebrush-sparrow
Image: Dominic Sherony, https://www.flickr.com/photos/9765210@N03/4411672747/, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Caron Tayloe (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)