Bird Guide

Rufous-winged Sparrow vs Stripe-headed Sparrow

Rufous-winged Sparrow (Peucaea carpalis)

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Peucaea carpalis

Small15 gShrubland

The rufous-winged sparrow is about 15 cm (6 in) long and weighs about 12 to 17 g (0.42 to 0.60 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have two wide rufous streaks with a thin grayish line between them on the crown. They have whitish lores that become a wide grayish supercilium, a indistinct whitish eye-ring, a rufous stripe behind the eye, and grayish ear coverts with a black stripe below them. Their nape has a grayish collar that the rufous streaks intrude into. Their upperparts are brownish gray with rufous-edged dark brown streaks on the back and scapulars. Voice: Only male rufous-winged sparrows sing. They sing year-round but more frequently in the breeding season, and mostly in the morning. The species' primary song is highly variable and generally begins with introductory notes followed by a trill. One description is "an accelerating series of chips and a few chips followed by a rapid trill". The species' calls include "tzeet, tzlip, and pip" notes.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Rufous-winged Sparrow
Recorded by Justin Watts · Song · Arivaca, Pima County, Arizona, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Isaac Ethington · CC BY 4.0
Stripe-headed Sparrow (Peucaea ruficauda)

Stripe-headed Sparrow

Peucaea ruficauda

Small28 gShrubland

The stripe-headed sparrow is 15 to 19.5 cm (5.9 to 7.7 in) long and weighs about 25 to 45 g (0.88 to 1.6 oz). It is a medium to large sparrow whose sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. r. ruficauda have a blackish brown crown and nape with a white stripe in the crown's middle. They have a blackish brown triangle from the lores across the ear coverts; the rear of the coverts has a pale spot. The crown and triangle are separated by a wide white supercilium. Their upperparts are mostly rufous-brown with blackish streaks. Voice: In northern Central America the stripe-headed sparrow sings "a varied scratchy warble lasting several seconds; also a rapid tip-tip-tip-tip-tip-tip-tip-ti'ti'ti'ti'ti-tip-tip-tip...". Its call there is "a soft, high-pitched seeet!". Another call is "a nasal chuh".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: dfaulder · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Rufous-winged Sparrow and Stripe-headed Sparrow.