Olive sparrow Arremonops rufivirgatus

Identification Tips:

• Length: 5.75 inches
• Conical bill
• Brown stripes on olive crown
• Gray supercilium
• Dark eyeline
• Plain olive upperparts
• Grayish-white underparts
• Sexes similar
• Juvenile (Summer) buffier than adult with some streaking below
• United States range restricted to southern Texas

Similar species:

The Olive Sparrow is the only sparrow with plain olive upperparts. It might be confused with the Green-tailed Towhee but lacks a rusty cap and is much smaller.

Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.