Clay-colored Sparrow

Spizella pallida (Swainson, 1832)

Clay-colored Sparrow, Spizella pallida, is a New World sparrow that breeds across central Canada and the north-central United States, and spends the non-breeding season in western Mexico. It is a small passerine of open shrubby country and jack pine woodland. A key feature is its pale crown stripe set against a darker crown, with a white line above the eye and a dark line through it. The bird also has a pale bill with a dark tip, grey on the back of the neck, and a long tail.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Passerellidae — New World Sparrows

Breeding range

North America: c Canada to nc USA

Nonbreeding range

to w Mexico