Sagebrush Sparrow

The Sagebrush Sparrow is a ground-loving sparrow of the arid Great Basin, tightly bound to expanses of big sagebrush. Until 2013 it was considered the same species as the Bell's Sparrow of California, under the combined name Sage Sparrow, and the two remain very similar, differing mainly in subtle plumage tone and voice.

Adults have a clean gray head, a bold white eye-ring, and a dark whisker (malar) stripe bordered by a white throat. The breast is whitish with a small dark central spot, and the back is brownish-gray. The bird's habit of running rapidly across open ground between shrubs, often with its long tail cocked upward, is a distinctive behavioral field mark.

Because it depends so heavily on sagebrush, the species has declined alongside the broader loss and degradation of sagebrush ecosystems across the interior West.

Key Field Marks

• Clean gray head with a bold white eye-ring
• Dark malar (whisker) stripe bordered by a white throat
• Small, isolated dark spot in the center of an otherwise plain white breast
• Long tail, often cocked while the bird runs on the ground

Similar Species

• Bell's Sparrow: darker overall, with a darker gray head, a less contrasting eye-ring, a more solidly dark malar stripe, and a smaller central breast spot; ranges are largely separate (Bell's in California coastal and interior scrub, Sagebrush in the Great Basin) with limited overlap
• Brewer's Sparrow: smaller, plainer, lacking the bold eye-ring and central breast spot, and typically shyer about running in the open

Running behavior with a cocked tail, paired with the gray head and eye-ring, helps separate this species from other sagebrush sparrows.

Sagebrush Sparrows breed in extensive stands of big sagebrush across the Great Basin, including parts of Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, California, and Wyoming, favoring relatively tall, dense sagebrush with an open understory for running and foraging.

In winter, the species moves into arid scrub and desert habitats of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Because it is such a strong sagebrush specialist, the species has been significantly affected by conversion of sagebrush steppe to agriculture, invasive cheatgrass, and increased wildfire frequency.

Behavior

This species forages mostly on the ground, running quickly between shrubs with its tail raised, and tends to duck into cover rather than fly when disturbed.

Voice

The song is a sweet, jumbled, tinkling warble, delivered from the top of a sagebrush or other low perch.

Feeding

Diet consists of insects and seeds gleaned from the ground and low shrub foliage, with insects more prominent in the breeding season.

Nesting and Breeding

Nests are built low in sagebrush, a sturdy cup of twigs and grasses. Clutches typically contain 2-4 pale bluish eggs with dark markings.