Five-striped Sparrow

The Five-striped Sparrow is a striking, mostly Mexican species that reaches the United States only in a small number of steep, thornscrub-choked canyons in southeastern Arizona, making it one of the most sought-after and range-restricted sparrows for American birders.

The bird's name refers to the bold pattern of white stripes on its dark head and throat: a white eyebrow, a white submoustachial stripe, and a white border around a solidly black throat combine with the dark gray head and back to create a striking, high-contrast face pattern. The breast is gray with a small dark central spot, and the wings show a rufous patch.

In the US, this species is a local and irregular summer visitor, with numbers and presence varying from year to year depending on rainfall and habitat conditions.

Key Field Marks

• Dark gray head and back
• Solid black throat bordered by a striking white pattern (eyebrow, submoustachial stripe, and throat outline)
• Gray breast with a small dark central spot
• Rufous patch on the wing

Similar Species

• Black-throated Sparrow: also has a black throat and white facial stripes, but shows a much paler gray head and lacks the rufous wing patch and breast spot

In the US, habitat alone is highly diagnostic: this species is essentially only found in a small set of steep, rocky, thorn-scrub canyons in southeastern Arizona, so encountering the right habitat is itself a strong identification clue.

The Five-striped Sparrow is primarily a Mexican species, found from Sonora south through western Mexico to Oaxaca, where it inhabits steep, rocky canyons and hillsides covered in dense thorny scrub. In the United States, it occurs only very locally as a summer resident in a handful of remote canyons in southeastern Arizona, such as California Gulch, near the international border.

The species tends to arrive in its US range in spring and is present through the summer monsoon season, when singing activity peaks, with most or all birds withdrawing south into Mexico by winter.

Behavior

This sparrow tends to stay within dense, thorny scrub on steep slopes, foraging on or near the ground, and can be inconspicuous outside of the breeding season when it is not singing.

Voice

The song is a variable, jumbled series of chips, buzzes, and trills, often delivered from an exposed perch on a shrub, particularly active at dawn and dusk and following summer monsoon rains.

Feeding

Diet consists of insects and seeds gathered from the ground and low scrub vegetation.

Nesting and Breeding

Nests are built low in dense thorny shrubs on steep canyon slopes. Breeding activity in the US typically coincides with the onset of summer monsoon rains, which boost insect availability for feeding young.