Black-chinned Sparrow Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A small, slender sparrow with a round head, a conical bill, and a long tail.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Bushtit, smaller than a Canyon Towhee.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.8 in (14.6 cm)
    • Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (9-14.8 g)
    • Wingspan: 7.7 in (19.5 cm)

  © Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Dark gray overall with brown streaks down the back and on the wings. Note the pinkish bill. Breeding males have a small patch of black on the chin and throat.

• Behavior

  Males often sing from conspicuous perches during the breeding season, but otherwise tend to seek cover in dense shrubs. They forage on the ground and in shrubs in rugged terrain.

• Habitat

  Found in dry brushlands and chaparral along rugged hillsides in the southwestern United States and south-central Mexico.