Rufous-winged Sparrow
Peucaea carpalis
The Rufous-winged Sparrow (Peucaea carpalis) is a uncommon new world sparrow found in 2 countries, weighing about 15 g. The rufous-winged sparrow is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows.
About the Rufous-winged Sparrow
The rufous-winged sparrow is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found in Mexico and the United States.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
What the Rufous-winged Sparrow sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Rufous-winged Sparrow can be seen all year round, with peak activity in April. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Rufous-winged Sparrow?
- The rufous-winged sparrow is about 15 cm (6 in) long and weighs about 12 to 17 g (0.42 to 0.60 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Rufous-winged Sparrow?
- The Rufous-winged Sparrow is a small sized bird weighing about 15 g.
- Where can you see a Rufous-winged Sparrow?
- The Rufous-winged Sparrow occurs in 2 countries, including the United States and Mexico.
- What does a Rufous-winged Sparrow sound like?
- You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Rufous-winged Sparrow on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Rufous-winged Sparrow?
- The Rufous-winged Sparrow is most easily confused with the Cassin's Sparrow, the Stripe-headed Sparrow and the Bachman's Sparrow.
- Is the Rufous-winged Sparrow endangered?
- The Rufous-winged Sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Rufous-winged Sparrow for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.