Sparrow & Towhee Species observed.

Passeridae (Old world) & Passerellidae (New world) sparrows and Towhees.

 

Photography by Mitch Doucet

 

Towhees (Passerellidae)

Abert’s Towhee

Common in the dense riparian brush, mostly at lower elevations than Canyib Towhee. 

 

California Towhee

Common. Found in dense brush including chaparral, brushy patches in open woods, parks, or suburbs. 

 

Canyon Towhee

Common in relatively open, arid areas with patches of brush, including suburban yards in desert scrub. 

 

Eastern Towhee

Common in brushy habitats, sunny clearings, and shrublands or brushy undergrowth within open forests. 

 

Spotted Towhee

Common in brushy habitats, sunny clearings, and shrublands or brushy undergrowth within open forests like his cousin. 

 

Green-tailed Towhee

Found in arid brushy habitats. 

 

Juncos (Passerellidae)

Dark-eyed Junco

Nests in relatively open mature coniferous or mixed woods with patches of open ground and brush.

 

Yellow-eyed Junco

Found in open pine forests in the mountains. Often seen in small groups foraging mainly on the ground.

 

Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)

House Sparrow

Found in cities, towns, parking lots, and farms. introduced from Europe in the mid-1800s. 

 

New World Sparrows (Passerellidae)

American Tree Sparrow

Common, nests in open shrubby vegetation on tundra.  Winters in any brushy or weedy habitat, often near trees. 

 

Black-throated Sparrow

Found in arid desert scrub and sparse shrubby vegetation with patches of pen ground. 

 

Brewer’s Sparrow

Nest in flat dry expanses with well-spaced shrubs and little grass. 

 

Chipping Sparrow

Common and widespread, summers in open woodlands or woodland edges with grassy understory. 

 

Clay-Colored Sparrow

Nest in open areas with scattered bushes. 

 

Field Sparrow

in declining in weedy fields with scattered bushes an trees. 

 

Fox Sparrow

Nest in dense brushy patches. 

 

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Nest in dense brush or stunted trees. 

 

Grasshopper’s Sparrow

Uncommon and local in large expanses of sense tall grass with scattered shrubs or weeds on dry ground. 

 

Nelson’s Sparrow

Mostly solitary and secretive, Common in coastal saltmarsh habitat. 

 

Harris’s Sparrow

Uncommon and local. Nests in patches of brushy willows and other shrubs among stunted, open spruce woods near treelines. 

 

Lark Sparrow

Found in open grassy areas with scattered trees or short grass adjacent to hedgerows and trees. 

 

LeConte’s Sparrow

Uncommon in dense wet grasslands or sedge marshes. 

 

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Nest in damp, dense brushy areas in sunny clearings. 

 

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

uncommon on arid rocky hillsides with patches of shrubs and grass. 

 

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Uncommon and local in flat, low-elevation mesquite grasslands with sparse vegetation and some cactus. 

 

Song Sparrow

Common and widespread, in most areas the most frequently seen streaked sparrow. 

 

 

 

Savannah Sparrow

Common and widespread in open grassy or weedy habitats., including marshes. 

Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich)

 

Swamp Sparrow

Common in wet marshes or at pond edges in dense vegetation such as cattails. 

 

Vesper Sparrow

Nest in extensive grasslands including short-grass prairie. 

 

White-crowned Sparrow

Nest in brushy patches surrounded by open habitats such as tundra. 

 

White-throated Sparrow

Found in brushy patches in or near openings in mixed woods. 

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