The Four Keys to ID
- Size & Shape
Clay-colored Sparrows are petite, trim sparrows with a small bill, slender body, and fairly long, notched tail. The small, slender shape of these and other Spizella sparrows is distinctive.
Relative Size
About the size of a Chipping Sparrow; slightly smaller than a Song Sparrow.
sparrow-sized or smallerMeasurements
- Both Sexes
© Chris Wood / Macaulay Library
- Color Pattern
These are mostly pale, tan-and-gray birds with a contrasting face pattern. Their pale gray collar is a helpful mark at all times of the year. The crown is finely streaked, with a pale stripe over the eye and darker cheek. The dark eyeline does not extend in front of the eye.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay Library - Behavior
Clay-colored Sparrows typically forage low in shrubs, or on the ground within close reach of shrubby cover. Males sing from near the tops of low shrubs. In winter, look for them in flocks of other sparrows, including Brewer’s, Chipping, and Lark.
- Habitat
They breed in shrublands, field edges, and thickets across the northern prairies. At the eastern edge of their range, look for them in Christmas tree farms and grassy areas with short, scattered conifers. They spend winters in desert grasslands, upland plains, thorn scrub, fields, and brushy hillsides.
© Brad Carlson / Macaulay Library
