Alternative name: Russet-tailed Sparrow
- Peucaea ruficauda
Aimophila ruficauda
Identification
15.5-18 cm.
Adult: Black head, broad white stripes on crown and above each eye, grey nape, pale brown upperparts streaked with black on the back, unstreaked and buff on the rump and tail, rufous shoulders, buff edged wing feathers, white throat and underparts, buff flanks, grey breast.
Young birds have a duller, indistinct head pattern, with buff stripes and a brown ground colour, and have streaked breasts.
Distribution
Discontinuous range, found on the Pacific slope of Mexico from southern Durango to western Chiapas, and in Central America from eastern Guatemala to northwest Costa Rica.
Taxonomy
There are five subspecies becoming larger and brighter from north to south. The northernmost form, A. r. acuminata, is smaller than the nominate Costa Rican subspecies ruficauda, has duller, browner upperparts, and paler, whiter underparts.
Was formerly placed in genus Aimophila.
Habitat
Brushy savanna, scrubby second growth and woodland edges.
Behaviour
The female builds a deep cup nest of plant material lined with fine grasses or horsehair, in spiny scrub. 2-4 unmarked pale blue eggs are laid and incubated by the female for 12-14 days. The whole group helps in feeding the chicks, and roost together in a tight group at night.
They feed on the ground and the diet includes grass seeds, some small insects and spiders.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- 51st supplement to the AOU checklist of North American birds
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
