Cabanis's Ground Sparrow vs Prevost's Ground Sparrow

Cabanis's Ground Sparrow

Melozone cabanisi

Small28 gShrubland

Cabanis's ground sparrow is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a black forecrown. The rest of their crown and their ear coverts are chestnut or chestnut-rufous; the latter have a thin U-shaped black line around their bottom half. They have white lores, a white eye-ring, and white cheeks, chin, and throat with a thin black "moustache". Their back, scapulars, rump, uppertail coverts, wings, and tail are olive or olive-brown, though their nape, upper back, and lesser wing coverts are somewhat grayish. Voice: The song of Cabanis's ground sparrow is "a high, thin, staccato sputter, a buzzy note, and/or a slow trill followed by 3-4 clear, forceful whistles: Pst-t-t-t peee-peer-peer, bzeew whee-whee-whee, or bzeew tow-hewhewhewhe peer-peer-peer-pee". Its calls include "weak, high, staccato, tsit notes", a sharp whistled "pseee psee psee", and a "sharp, thin pseeer".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Forest Botial-Jarvis · CC BY 4.0

Prevost's Ground Sparrow

Melozone biarcuata

Small31 gShrubland

Prevost's ground sparrow is on average 15 cm long and weighs 28 g. The adult has a stubby dark-grey bill, unstreaked olive-brown upperparts, a rufous crown and mainly white underparts. Young birds are browner above, have yellower underparts, and a duller indistinct head pattern. It has a simple head pattern in which the rufous of the crown extends down the sides of the neck as a half collar behind the white face. Voice: Calls include a thin tsit or a clearer psee. The male's song, given from a hidden perch in the wet season, is a whistled pst’t’t’t peer peer peer whee whee whee.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Diego Blanco · CC0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Cabanis's Ground Sparrow and Prevost's Ground Sparrow.