Rufous-crowned Sparrow Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesRufous-crowned Sparrow
Adult
Long-tailed sparrow with rufous cap, white eyering, and strong white-and-black "mustache" or malar stripes.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryTexas, July 26, 2016Adult
Overall grayish sparrow with rusty stripes on the back. Strong face pattern with rufous crown, white eyering, and dark stripes at sides of the throat.
© Heather Pickard / Macaulay LibraryArizona, February 21, 2013Adult
Walks or hops, pecking or scratching at the ground for seeds and insects often under the protective cover of shrubs or dense grasses.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 20, 2008Not all videos have sound
Adult
Long-tailed, grayish sparrow with rusty stripes on back. Rufous cap and stripe through eye; white eyering.
© Doug Hitchcox / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 23, 2017Adult
Found in open, shrubby areas on dry slopes with patchy ground cover. Avoids dense woody habitats.
© Kai Mills / Macaulay LibraryArizona, April 07, 2017Adult
Males sing a mix of slurs and chatters with a bubbly quality reminiscent of a Northern House Wren in spring and summer from exposed perches or while in flight.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 20, 2008Not all videos have sound
Adult
Found in open, shrubby areas on dry slopes, often with areas of bare rock or patches of sparse grass.
© Ryan O'Donnell / Macaulay LibraryArizona, June 11, 2017Adult
Drinks water from small pools or gathers dew from vegetation. This video has no audio.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryTexas, February 01, 1997Not all videos have sound
Adult
Look for Rufous-crowned Sparrows in spring or early summer when males sing in the early morning from exposed perches.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryTexas, May 01, 1998Not all videos have sound
Similar SpeciesRufous-winged Sparrow
Adult
Rufous-winged Sparrow is duller than Rufous-crowned Sparrow, with mixed gray and rufous in the crown and without the white eyering or white mustache stripe. The lower mandible is yellow in Rufous-winged but gray in Rufous-crowned.
© Matthew Hunter / Macaulay LibraryArizona, December 24, 2014Similar SpeciesChipping Sparrow
Breeding adult
Chipping Sparrows have a black line through the eye and lack the dark mustache stripe of Rufous-crowned Sparrow. In breeding plumage, Chipping Sparrows have a white stripe over the eye.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 04, 2015Similar SpeciesChipping Sparrow
Nonbreeding
Chipping Sparrows have a dark, not rufous, line through the eye and lack Rufous-crowned's dark mustache stripe.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, October 15, 2007Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
New World Sparrows(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Passerellidae)
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.