Rufous-winged sparrow Aimophila carpalis

Identification Tips:

• Yellowish, conical bill
• Rusty crown
• Grayish face and supercilium
• Brown streak extends behind eye
• Brown back with darker streaks
• Rusty wings, especially shoulder
• Underparts pale gray
• Long, brown tail
• Sexes similar
• Juvenile (Spring and Summer) has brown, streaked crown, dark cheeks and buffy breast with diffuse streaks
• Inhabits desert grasslands in southern Arizona

Similar species:

The Rufous-winged Sparrow can be told from the Rufous-crowned Sparrow by its rusty shoulder, paler underparts, thinner malar streak and different song. Other sparrows with rusty crowns (Chipping, Field, American Tree, Swamp) are smaller with different markings.