French: Bruant à joues marron German: Rainammer Spanish: Chingolo arlequín
Bellefontaine, 4 miles [6.4 km] from mouth of Missouri River, Missouri, USA
Subspecies and Distribution
C. g. strigatus
Swainson, 1827 – S Canada from S interior British Columbia and SE Alberta E to S Saskatchewan and S Manitoba, and W USA from Washington and Oregon E to the Dakotas and S to S California, C Nevada and S Arizona (Chiricahua Mts), S to N Mexico (N Sonora E to Coahuila, S to Zacatecas, Nuevo León and W Tamaulipas); non-breeding from S edge of breeding range S to S Louisiana and Mexico (S, except Yucatán Peninsula and adjacent lowlands, to S Baja California, Veracruz and Chiapas).
C. g. grammacus
(Say, 1822) – from Minnesota and C Wisconsin S to Texas, E to Ohio, Mississippi Valley and N Louisiana; non-breeding from C Texas S through C Mexico to Guerrero and Oaxaca.
14·1–18·3 cm; 24·7–33·3 g. Fairly large, long-tailed sparrow with strongly patterned face and much white in tail. Nominate race has... read more
Song musical and variable, a broken series of clear notes, “twee twee trerere trerere twee... read more
Open habitats with heavily grazed grassland, bare ground and scattered trees. In Great Plains often... read more
Food and feeding
Diet c. 75% granivorous and 25% insectivorous. Insects taken include 14% orthopterans, also adult beetles (Coleoptera), larval... read more
Season mid-Apr through Jul; usually single-brooded. Monogamous. Pairs formed soon after arrival on breeding grounds. Nest-site selected by... read more
Most populations migratory; present all year S USA (California, S Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) and... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Fairly common to locally very common; rare in S Ontario (Canada). Has declined in E parts of range, where nominate race, until fairly recently, bred... read more
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