Vesper Sparrow

Pooecetes gramineus (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

Passerellidae — New World Sparrows

Vesper Sparrow, Pooecetes gramineus, is a New World sparrow of North America, breeding in the west and north and spending the non-breeding season in south-east USA and Mexico. It is the only species in Pooecetes. This bird is associated with grassy places at lower elevations, including dry grassland, sagebrush and fields. Adults show light brown upperparts and paler underparts with darker streaking, along with a small white eye-ring, white in the tail seen in flight, and a chestnut shoulder patch that is usually hidden. The species was first described by Gmelin in 1789.

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passerellidae — New World Sparrows
Breeding range: North America: w, n
Nonbreeding range: se USA and Mexico