Peucaea cassinii
adult
Cassin’s Sparrow is a furtive songbird with plumage that lacks any really distinctive features. The sexes are similar. Adults have a streaked gray-brown back, the individual feathers with rufous centers and pale margins. The streaked brown crown has a pale central stripe and the pale gray face includes a pale gray supercilium. The whitish throat is framed by a thin dark line, and the underparts are otherwise pale gray-buff with very faint streaks on the breast and flanks. Juveniles are similar to an adult but browner and more heavily streaked.
Cassin’s Sparrow is present as a breeding species across most of its North American range mainly from May to August. It is present year-round in the border regions of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and its resident range extends south into Mexico. It is one of the hardest sparrows to observe, being secretive and more inclined to creep through vegetation than to fly. It is easiest to see in spring, when males sometimes sing from exposed perches.
adult
FACT FILE
LENGTH 6 in (15 cm)
FOOD Fallen seeds and some invertebrates
HABITAT Dry grassland
STATUS Locally common summer visitor, and very local resident
VOICE Song comprises a trilling phrase preceded by, and ending with, whistling notes. Call is a thin tseip
