Brewer's Sparrow Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  The Brewer’s Sparrow is typical of the Spizella group of sparrows: dainty and slim, with a long, notched tail, short rounded wings, and a small, sharply conical bill. Its size varies somewhat by region and sex, but overall it is North America’s smallest sparrow.

  Relative Size

  About the size of a Black-capped Chickadee; noticeably smaller and slimmer than a Song Sparrow.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.1-5.9 in (13-15 cm)
    • Weight: 0.4-0.5 oz (11-14 g)
    • Wingspan: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)

  © Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Brewer’s Sparrows are dusky gray-brown, with grayish underparts and a thin white eyering. The back and nape are streaked. A faint gray stripe over the eye contrasts with a darker eyeline. The throat is grayish white.

• Behavior

  On the breeding grounds, in spring and early summer, male Brewer’s Sparrows sing long, trilled songs from atop sagebrush. These sparrows forage in dense shrubs to glean insect food and tend to stay out of open areas. During fall and winter they often convene in large flocks with other Spizella sparrows.
• Habitat

  Brewer’s Sparrows live in the arid sagebrush steppe of the interior West of North America, where they are the region’s most abundant bird. In some northwestern mountains, a form known as the “Timberline Sparrow” lives among subalpine trees and dwarf shrubs.

Regional Differences

Brewer’s Sparrows that live among subalpine trees and shrubs at high elevations in mountains of Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska, and some parts of the northwestern U.S., are a separate subspecies (S. b. taverneri, often known as the “Timberline Sparrow”). They differ from birds in the rest of their range in having darker upperparts and bills, with more contrast to the underparts and facial pattern.

Regional Photos

© David Hollie / Macaulay LibraryColorado, June 17, 2015

© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryYukon Territory, June 05, 2014