Sagebrush Sparrow Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Sagebrush Sparrows are small songbirds—medium-sized for sparrows—with a relatively long tail. The head is rounded and the bill is fairly short and thick.

  Relative Size

  About the size of a Song Sparrow; slightly larger than a Brewer’s Sparrow.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm)
    • Weight: 0.5-0.8 oz (15-22 g)

  © Ben Barkley / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Sagebrush Sparrows are brown above with a soft gray head with white underparts and a dark spot in the middle of the breast. The face shows a white eyering, a white spot before the eye, and a dark stripe bordering the throat. The tail is dark, with light edges to the outer feathers. Juveniles are more uniformly brown, lack the gray head, and are streaky beneath.

• Behavior

  They are fairly inconspicuous birds that spend much of their time on the ground or concealed in shrubs, except during early summer when males sing from prominent perches. When crossing open areas they tend to run along the ground with the tail held high.
• Habitat

  Sagebrush Sparrows breed in open areas of the rolling, sage-dominated shrubsteppe of western North America. During migration and in winter, Sagebrush Sparrows mix with other sparrow species in open, dry habitats including creosote and saltbush-dominated desert scrub.