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The Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, is a medium-sized American sparrow
American sparrow

American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns....
.

Adults have brown upperparts with dark streaks on the back and are white underneath with dark streaking and a dark brown spot in the middle of the breast. They have a brown cap and a long brown rounded tail. Their face is grey with a streak through the eye. For subspecies, see below.

In the field, they are most easily confused with its congener the Lincoln's Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow

The Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, is a medium-sized American sparrow.Adults have dark-streaked olive-brown upperparts with a light brown breast with fine streaks, a white belly and a white throat....
, and the Savannah Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow

The Savannah Sparrow is a small American sparrow. It is the only widely accepted member of the genus Passerculus. Recent comparison of mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and 3 DNA sequences indicates that the Ipswich Sparrow, formerly usually considered a good species , is a well-marked subspecies of the Savannah Sparrow, wh...
.






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The Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, is a medium-sized American sparrow
American sparrow

American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns....
.

Adults have brown upperparts with dark streaks on the back and are white underneath with dark streaking and a dark brown spot in the middle of the breast. They have a brown cap and a long brown rounded tail. Their face is grey with a streak through the eye. For subspecies, see below.

In the field, they are most easily confused with its congener the Lincoln's Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow

The Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, is a medium-sized American sparrow.Adults have dark-streaked olive-brown upperparts with a light brown breast with fine streaks, a white belly and a white throat....
, and the Savannah Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow

The Savannah Sparrow is a small American sparrow. It is the only widely accepted member of the genus Passerculus. Recent comparison of mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and 3 DNA sequences indicates that the Ipswich Sparrow, formerly usually considered a good species , is a well-marked subspecies of the Savannah Sparrow, wh...
. The former can be recognized by its shorter, greyer tail and the differently-patterned head, the brown cheeks forming a clear-cut angular patch. The Savannah Sparrow has a forked tail and yellowish flecks on the face when seen up close.

Although they are a habitat generalist, their favorite habitat is brushy areas and marshes, including salt marshes, across most of Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 and the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. They also thrive in human areas, such as in suburbs, along edges in agricultural areas, and along roadsides. In southern locations, they are permanent residents. Northern birds migrate
Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
 to the southern United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 or Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, where there is also a local population resident all year round. The Song Sparrow is a very rare vagrant to western Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, with a few recorded in Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
 and Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
.

These birds forage on the ground, in shrubs or in very shallow water. They mainly eat insects and seeds. Birds in salt marshes may also eat small crustaceans. They nest either in a sheltered location on the ground or in trees or shrubs.

Eggs

The Song Sparrow lays 3-5 eggs. The egg coloring is a brown spotted greenish-white.

Song

The male of this species uses its melodious and fairly complex song to declare ownership of its territory and to attract females.

The song sparrow's song consists of a combination of repeated notes, quickly passing isolated notes, and trills. The songs are very crisp, clear, and precise, making them easily distinguishable by human ears. A particular song is determined not only by pitch and rhythm but also by the timbre of the trills. Although one bird will know many songs - as many as 20 different tunes with as many as 1,000 improvised variations on the basic theme -, unlike thrushes
Thrush (bird)

The Thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World....
, the song sparrow usually repeats the same song many times before switching to a different song.

Song sparrows typically learn their songs from a handful of other birds that have neighboring territories. They are most likely to learn songs that are shared in common between these neighbors. Ultimately, they will choose a territory close to or replacing the birds that they have learned from. This allows the song sparrows to address their neighbors with songs shared in common with those neighbors. It has been demonstrated that song sparrows are able to distinguish neighbors from strangers on the basis of song, and also that females are able to distinguish (and prefer) their mate's songs from those of other neighboring birds, and they prefer songs of neighboring birds to those of strangers.

Other birds such as mockingbird
Mockingbird

Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family . They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of insect and amphibian sounds as well as other bird songs, often loudly and in rapid succession....
s are not able to effectively imitate the song sparrow's song.

Melospiza Melodia 001

Predators and Parasites

Common predators of the song sparrow include cats, hawks, and owls
OWLS

OWLS is a mnemonic used by general aviation airplane pilots to assess an unprepared surface for a precautionary landing.Like all mnemonics this check has become part of aviation culture and folklore....
. Snakes, dogs, and the american kestrel
American Kestrel

The American Kestrel is a small falcon. This bird was colloquially known in North America as the "Sparrow Hawk". This name is misleading because it implies a connection with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, which is unrelated; the latter is an accipiter rather than a falcon....
 are treated ambiguously, suggesting that they are less of a threat. The song sparrow recognizes enemies by both instinctual and learned patterns (including cultural learning
Cultural learning

Cultural learning, also called cultural transmission, is the way a group of people or animals within a society or culture tend to learn and pass on new information....
), and adjusts its future behavior based on both its own experiences in encounters, and from watching other birds interact with the enemies. Comparisons of experiments on hand-raised birds to observation of birds in the wild suggest that the fear of owls and hawks is instinctual, but fear of cats is learned.

Song sparrows' nests are parasitized by the brown-headed cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird

The Brown-headed Cowbird is a small brood parasite icterid of temperate to subtropical North America. They are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range; northern birds bird migration to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat about March/April....
. The cowbirds' eggs closely resemble song sparrows' eggs, although the cowbirds' eggs are slightly larger. Song sparrows recognize cowbirds as a threat and attack the cowbirds when they are near the nest. There is some evidence that this behavior is learned rather than instinctual. A more recent study found that the behavior of attacking female cowbirds near nests may actually attract cowbird parasitism because the female cowbirds use such behavior to identify female song sparrows that are more likely to successfully raise a cowbird chick. One study found that while cowbird parasitism did result in more nest failure, overall there were negligible effects on song sparrow populations when cowbirds were introduced to an island. The study pointed to a number of explanatory factors including song sparrows raising multiple broods, and song sparrows' abilities to raise cowbird chicks with their own.

Subspecies

The Song Sparrow is one of the birds with the most numerous subspecies in North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, and even on a global scale rivals such species as the Horned Lark, the Yellow Wagtail, the Golden Whistler
Golden Whistler

The Golden Whistler is a species of bird native to the Australia-New Guinea region and extending somewhat into the Pacific. It is among the birds with the highest number of geographic subspecies, with 59 recognised subspecies and a number of closely related species which may be subspecies ....
 or the Island Thrush
Island Thrush

The Island Thrush, is a common forest bird in the thrush family . Almost 50 subspecies have been described from Taiwan, through South East Asia and Melanesia, to Samoa, exhibiting great differences in plumage....
. 52 subspecies
Subspecies

In biology, subspecies is the taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a species. A subspecies is a taxonomic group which is less distinct than the Common descent or species from which it originates....
 were named altogether, of which 24 are considered valid nowadays.

Eastern group

Small, brownish, long-winged forms with strong black streaks.
  • Melospiza melodia melodia (Wilson, 1810). The nominate subspecies. Eastern half of North American range except coastal areas south from New York State. In winter, they migrate southeastwards. Very contrasting, very light with black streaks below, and grey margins to back feathers. This population includes the forms named as M. m. juddi Bishop, 1896; M. m. acadica Thayer and Bangs, 1914; M. m. beata (non Bangs) Todd, 1930; M. m. euphonia Wetmore, 1936; M. m. callima Oberholser, 1974; and M. m. melanchra Oberholser, 1974.
  • Melospiza melodia atlantica Todd, 1924. Inhabits the Atlantic Coast salt marshes from New York State southwards; does not migrate. Differs from nominate by a gray back. Includes M. m. rossignolii Bailey, 1936.
  • Melospiza melodia montana Henshaw, 1884. The subspecies west of melodia to the Rocky Mountains
    Rocky Mountains

    The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
    . Some birds from the northern part of its range migrate to NW Mexico in winter. Similar to nominate, but larger, duller coloration and more slender bill. Includes M. m. fisherella Oberholser, 1911.


Northwestern group

Large, dark, diffuse dark streaks. A study of mtDNA allozyme
Allozyme

Variant forms of an enzyme that are coded for by different alleles at the same Locus are called allozymes as opposed to isozymes which are enzymes that perform the same function, but which are coded for by genes located at different loci....
 variation of most forms in this group concluded that they are of comparatively recent origin and that island populations are apparently derived independently from each other.
  • Melospiza melodia maxima Gabrielson & Lincoln, 1951, Giant Song Sparrow. W Aleutian Islands
    Aleutian Islands

    The Aleutian Islands are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming a volcanic arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi and extending about 1,200 mi westward from the Alaska Peninsula toward the Kamchatka Peninsula....
     (Attu
    Attu Island

    Attu is the Extreme points of the United States and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States....
     to Atka Island
    Atka Island

    Atka Island is the largest island in the Andreanof Islands of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The island is east of Adak Island. It is long and wide with a land area of , making it the List of islands of the United States by area....
    ), resident. The largest subspecies, about the size of the California Towhee
    California Towhee

    The California Towhee, Pipilo crissalis, is a bird of the family Emberizidae, native to the coastal regions of western Oregon and California in the United States and Baja California Sur in Mexico....
    . Very gray overall, long, diffuse streaks. Bill long and slender.
  • Melospiza melodia sanaka McGregor, 1901, Aleutian Song Sparrow. Aleutians from Seguam Island
    Seguam Island

    Seguam Island is a small volcanic island in the Andreanof Islands group in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The island is mountainous and oval shaped with a land area of ....
     east to Stepovak Bay, Alaska
    Alaska

    Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
    , and islands to the south of Alaskan Peninsula; resident. Similar to maxima; grayer still and bill even more slender. Includes the Semidi Song Sparrow, M. m. semidiensis Brooks, 1919, which may be a distinct subspecies however. Also includes the population from Amak Island
    Amak Island

    Amak Island is a stratovolcano in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, Alaska, USA. The uninhabited island lies north of the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula, and northwest of the mainland city of Cold Bay, Alaska....
     named M. m. amaka Gabrielson & Lincoln, 1951 (Amak Song Sparrow) which was extirpated due to habitat destruction, apparently disappearing in the weeks around New Year's Eve, 1980/1981 (there were unconfirmed sightings in 1987 and 1988).
  • Melospiza melodia insignis Baird, 1869, Bischoff Song Sparrow. Kodiak
    Kodiak Island

    Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago and at 8975 km? in area, it is the List of islands of the United States by area and the List of islands by area....
    , Afognak
    Afognak

    Afognak is an island 5 km north of Kodiak Island in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is 43 miles from east to west and 23 miles from north to south and has a land area of 1,812.58 km? , making it the List of islands of the United States by area....
    , Sitkalidak, and Raspberry Islands, and Kukak and Katmai
    Katmai National Park and Preserve

    Katmai National Park and Preserve is a United States National Park in southern Alaska, notable for the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and for its brown bears....
     on Alaska Peninsula; many migrate south in winter. A darkish grey, medium-sized form.
  • Melospiza melodia kenaiensis Ridgway, 1900, Kenai Song Sparrow. Resident; Pacific coast of Kenai Peninsula
    Kenai Peninsula

    The Kenai Peninsula is a large peninsula jutting from the southern coast of Alaska in the United States. The name Kenai is possibly derived from Kenayskaya, the Russian name for Cook Inlet, which borders the peninsula to the west....
     and Prince William Sound
    Prince William Sound

    Prince William Sound is a Sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula....
     islands; some resident, some migrant. Smaller and browner than insignis.
  • Melospiza melodia caurina Ridgway, 1899, Yakutat Song Sparrow. Northern Gulf of Alaska
    Gulf of Alaska

    The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found....
     coast, many migrate to Pacific Northwest
    Pacific Northwest

    The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America . There are several partially overlapping definitions but the term Pacific Northwest should not be confused with the Northwest Territory or the Northwest Territories of Canada....
     in winter. A smaller version of kenaiensis.
  • Melospiza melodia rufina (Bonaparte, 1850), Sooty Song Sparrow. Outer islands of Alexander Archipelago
    Alexander Archipelago

    The Alexander Archipelago is a three-hundred-mile-long archipelago, or group of islands, off the southeastern coast of Alaska. It contains about 1,100 islands, which are the tops of the submerged coastal mountains that rise steeply from the Pacific Ocean....
     and Queen Charlotte Island; most are resident. A very dark, rufous, and small form. Includes M. m. kwaisa Cumming, 1933.
  • Melospiza melodia morphna Oberholser, 1899. Coastal region of central British Columbia
    British Columbia

    British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
     south to NW Oregon
    Oregon

    Oregon is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers and settlers....
    ; resident. Lighter, more rufous than rufina. Previously M. m. cinerea (non Gmelin) (Audubon, 1839); M. m. phaea Fisher, 1902 are Central Oregon hybrids between this subspecies and M. m. cleonensis.
  • Melospiza melodia merrilli Brewster, 1896. Occurs between the ranges of morphna and montana south to N Nevada
    Nevada

    Nevada is a U.S. state located in the Western United States of the United States of America. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas, Nevada....
    ; some migrate south in winter. Includes M. m. ingersolli McGregor, 1899 and M. m. inexspectata Riley, 1911 (Riley Song Sparrow; inexpectata is a common lapsus
    Lapsus

    Lapsus is an involuntary mistake made while writing or speaking. According to Sigmund Freud, in his early psychoanalytic theory it represents a missed deed that hides an unconscious desire....
    ). Doubtfully distinct; intermediate between morphna and montana in appearance also and may be hybrid birds.
  • Melospiza melodia cleonensis McGregor, 1899. SW Oregon west of Cascade Mountains south to NW California
    California

    California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
    . Brownish-buffish, notably on the flanks; no grey on back; underside with somewhat diffuse chestnut streaks.


Cismontane California group

Small, well-marked and short-winged brownish forms. All resident, except occasional birds from upland populations.
  • Melospiza melodia gouldii Baird, 1858. Coastal central California, except San Francisco Bay
    San Francisco Bay

    San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean....
    . A very brown and clear-marked subspecies; buffish (not light grey) fringes of upper back. M. m. santaecrucis Grinnell, 1901 are hybrids with birds from southwards and Central Valley populations.
  • Melospiza melodia samuelis (Baird, 1858), San Pablo Song Sparrow. N San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay
    San Pablo Bay

    San Pablo Bay is a shallow tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in northern California in the United States. It receives the waters of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River rivers, via Suisun Bay and the Carquinez Strait on its east end, and it connects to San Francisco Bay on its south end....
     saltmarshes. A small, tiny-billed subspecies with dirty olive upperpart background.
  • Melospiza melodia maxillaris Grinnell, 1909, Suisun Song Sparrow. Suisun Bay
    Suisun Bay

    Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary located at in central California, United States. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin Rivers, thus forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta....
     marshes. Dark upperparts; brown with grey mantle edges; plump bill base.
  • Melospiza melodia pusillula Ridgway, 1899, Alameda Song Sparrow. E San Francisco Bay saltmarshes. Yellowest subspecies, paler than samuelis and clear yellow hue below.
  • Melospiza melodia heermanni Baird, 1858. Central coastal California and Central Valley south to N Baja California
    Baja California

    Baja California is the northernmost States of Mexico of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California....
    . Similar in color to maxillaris but medium-sized mainland subspecies. Some N-S variation with birds becoming blacker on backs, local populations once separated as M. m. cooperi Ridgway, 1899 and M. m. mailliardi Grinnell, 1911. The latter, occurring around Modesto, may be distinct.
  • Melospiza melodia graminea Townsend, 1890. Described from Santa Barbara Island
    Santa Barbara Island

    Santa Barbara Island is a small island located about off the southern California coast from San Pedro, near Los Angeles.With a total area of about 640 acres it is the smallest of the eight Channel Islands of California....
    , California Channel Islands. A smaller, pale-grey version of heermanni. Originally called Santa Barbara Song Sparrow; birds from the Coronado Islands
    Coronado Islands

    The Coronado Islands are a group of four islands off the northwest coast of the Mexico States of Mexico of Baja California. Battered by the wind and waves, they are largely unfertile and uninhabited except for a small military detachment and a few lighthouse keepers....
     were described as M. m. coronatorum Grinnell and Daggett, 1903, those from San Miguel Island
    San Miguel Island

    San Miguel Island is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands and the sixth-largest of the eight at , including offshore islands and rocks....
     as M. m. micronyx Grinnell, 1928 and those from San Clemente
    San Clemente Island

    San Clemente Island or SCI is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County, California....
    , Santa Rosa
    Santa Rosa Island, California

    Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 53,195 acres . Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block 3009, Block Group 3, census tract 29.10 of Santa Barbara County, California, the United States Census, 2000 showed an official population of 2 persons....
     and Anacapa Island
    Anacapa Island

    Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about 14 miles off the coast of Ventura, California, in Ventura County.Anacapa is part of the Channel Islands archipelago , and is part of the Channel Islands National Park....
    s as M. m. clementae Townsend, 1890. Hybrid population with heermanni on Santa Cruz Island
    Santa Cruz Island

    File:Santa Cruz Island.jpgSanta Cruz Island was the largest privately owned island off the continental United States, but is currently part-owned by the National Park service ....
    . Extirpated on Santa Barbara (and possibly San Clemente) by feral cats, c.1967-1970.


Southwestern group

Small, pale, streaks rufous; all resident.
  • Melospiza melodia fallax (Baird, 1854), Desert Song Sparrow. Sonoran
    Sonoran Desert

    The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California....
     and parts of Mojave Desert
    Mojave Desert

    The Mojave Desert , , locally referred to as the High Desert, occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, and northwestern Arizona, in the United States....
    s to E Arizona
    Arizona

    The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
    . A pale ruddy desert form. Synonyms are M. m. saltonis Grinnell, 1909, M. m. virginis Marshall and Behle, 1942 and M. m. bendirei Phillips, 1943.
  • Melospiza melodia rivularis Bryant, 1888. Central Baja California. Similar to fallax, lightly streaked breast and long slender bill.
  • Melospiza melodia goldmani Nelson, 1899. Not yet found outside El Salto area, Sierra Madre Oriental
    Sierra Madre Oriental

    The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico, spanning 1000 km from Coahuila south through Nuevo Le?n, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potos?, Quer?taro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volc?nico Transversal of central Mexico....
    . Dark reddish brown back with brownish streaks just as in morphna.


Mexican Plateau group

Black-spotted, white throats; all resident.
  • Melospiza melodia adusta Nelson, 1899. Río Lerma drainage from Zacapú
    Zacapú

    Zacapu is a city and its surrounding municipalities of Mexico in the Nahuatzen mountains of north-central Michoac?n, Mexico. Located near Compandaro Michoacan, the city had a population of 51,386 in the 2005 census and the municipality 70,636....
     to Lago Yuriria
    Yuriria

    Yuririapundaro, Guanajuato, Mexico, also known as Yuriria, is one of 46 municipalities in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Its location and historical importance are key factors to the outstanding and significal importance of the municipality....
    . Bold black pattern on belly and back, clear white throat. Birds become less ruddy brown going east.
  • Melospiza melodia villai Phillips and Dickerman, 1957. Headwaters of Río Lerma near Toluca
    Toluca

    Toluca, formally: Toluca de Lerdo is the States of Mexico capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Toluca . It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico....
    . Darker and duller brown than adusta, distinctly large.
  • Melospiza melodia mexicana Ridgway, 1874. Hidalgo to Puebla
    Puebla

    Puebla is a Political divisions of Mexico located in the center east of the country, to the east of Mexico City.The state of Puebla borders the states of Veracruz to the east, Hidalgo , Mexico State, Tlaxcala, and Morelos to the west, and Guerrero and Oaxaca to the south....
    . Duller and paler than adusta, birds becoming greyish going south. Includes M. m. azteca Dickerman, 1963 and M. m. niceae Dickerman, 1963. "M. m. pectoralis" (ex von Müller, 1865) cannot be assigned to a known Song Sparrow population.


Conservation status

Seen as a whole, the Song Sparrow is widespread and common to be classified as Species of Least Concern by the IUCN. The taxa mailliardi, maxillaris, samuelis (all Category 3), pusillula (Category 2) and graminea (Category 1) are listed as Species of Special Concern in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
.

Footnotes


External links

  • Interesting Song Sparrow Facts donated by
  • - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • - South Dakota Birds and Birding
  • USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
  • on the Internet Bird Collection
  • VIREO