Stripe-headed Sparrow
Peucaea ruficauda
The Stripe-headed Sparrow (Peucaea ruficauda) is a uncommon new world sparrow found in 6 countries, weighing about 28 g. The stripe-headed sparrow is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows.
About the Stripe-headed Sparrow
The stripe-headed sparrow is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found from Mexico to Costa Rica.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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".
Where it lives
When to see it
The Stripe-headed Sparrow can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Stripe-headed Sparrow?
- 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). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Stripe-headed Sparrow?
- The Stripe-headed Sparrow is a small sized bird weighing about 28 g.
- Where can you see a Stripe-headed Sparrow?
- The Stripe-headed Sparrow occurs in 6 countries, including Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
- What birds look similar to a Stripe-headed Sparrow?
- The Stripe-headed Sparrow is most easily confused with the Bachman's Sparrow, the Cassin's Sparrow and the Botteri's Sparrow.
- Is the Stripe-headed Sparrow endangered?
- The Stripe-headed Sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Stripe-headed Sparrow for real
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