Aimophila ruficeps
interior adult
The Rufous-crowned Sparrow has rather nondescript plumage except for its head markings. The sexes are similar but regional variation exists. Adults have a streaked gray-brown back, a subtly darker tail, and dark wings with rufous margins to the inner flight feathers. The head has a rufous crown with a pale central stripe, a gray face with a white eyering, a brown stripe behind the eye, and a pale supercilium in front of the eye. There is a dark malar stripe and a “mustache” that is buff in coastal birds but white in interior birds. All birds have pale gray underparts. Juveniles are similar to adults but more streaked.
The Rufous-crowned Sparrow is present year-round in southern and southwest U.S.A. It is an unobtrusive species but fortunately it often scans its surroundings from a prominent boulder; males sing from similar spots in spring.
coastal adult
FACT FILE
LENGTH 6 in (15 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates and seeds
HABITAT Dry rocky slopes with sparse grasses
STATUS Locally common resident
VOICE Song is a rattling chip-chip-chip chip-chit . . . Call is a nasal dneer
