Clay-colored Sparrow

The Clay-colored Sparrow is rather plain, pale, and little. They are a typical summer bird of the northern prairies, where the males perch in the tops of low thickets to sing their flat, monotonous buzzes. Though they are not brightly colored, their pale tones and overall neat, crisp markings help set them apart from other Sparrows, especially useful on their wintering grounds, where they often flock with other species.

About Clay-colored Sparrows

These active birds tend to forage within the branches of shrubs or on the ground beneath the cover. It is sometimes a very common migrant in a narrow corridor through the Great Plains to the east and west of there it is a rare stray. Small numbers reach both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts every year, mainly in the fall. Clay-colored Sparrows seen out of range are usually with flocks of Chipping Sparrows or Brewer’s Sparrows, close relatives with similar habits. They are a paranoid bunch, typically taking flight at the first sign of disturbances. This has made them elusive, much like many other members of the genus. Although they have offered us valuable insights into the lives of Sparrows, there is still much to be learned.

Their range has since expanded east and north since the turn of the 20th century in response to suitable habitats created by logging and agricultural activities. Their numbers have thus suffered a relatively smaller decline as compared to many other species in the same family. Today, we are going to be talking about some of the most familiar birds found in North America. We will be covering:

● Clay-colored Sparrow Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Clay-colored Sparrow Size, Eating Behavior, Habitat
● Clay-colored Sparrow Range and Migration, Nesting

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Clay-colored Sparrow Color Pattern

These small Sparrows have grayish-brown upperparts with sharp black streaks, along with unstreaked grayish-white underparts. Their head markings are distinctive, complete with gray or white median crown stripes and brown ear patches outlined with dark brown. Clay-colored Sparrow throats have a gray nuchal collar that sharply contrasts with their plumage. Their bills are pinkish and ever so dusky above at the very tip. Their brown rumps and head markings have different patterns than those of Chipping Sparrows, making them slightly easier to identify. They also look similar to Brewer’s Sparrows, with the exception of the gray collar that the latter does not have. Adults of both sexes look alike, with very few and unnoticeable traits distinguishing between them.

Juveniles have a bunch of streaks, the marking is most visible in and around the underparts, head, collar, and back. On average, their underparts are shaded with buff in the fresh fall plumage and more grayish by late spring and summer. They molt into adult-like plumage by late summer to early fall, after which they are absolutely indistinguishable from adults.

Description and Identification

Within their range, Clay-colored Sparrows are numerous. In summer, they mostly hang out in shrublands or field edges. Keep an eye and ear out for a Sparrow buzzing about in a thicket, typically low to the ground. Listen for the male singing a distinctive dry series of short buzzes, with the buzzes resembling those of insects. On the wintering
grounds, they are mixed in with flocks of other Sparrows, making identification of these plain birds rather difficult. You will need to look carefully for their combination of overall slim shape, buffy tones, and crisp facial markings.

Clay-colored Sparrow Song

While only males sing, both sexes produce a call note. Their songs are a series of low flat buzzes that are like those uttered by insects. The call note is a weak “tsip, chip, or seep”. Females may also utter a soft, twittering call around the nests. The most frequent “tsip” has several contexts, but it’s usually to contact between flock members, between mates, and between parents and they’re young. The young sing higher-pitch seep notes when they are in distress, while the louder and sharper chip note is uttered by adults when they are alarmed. These contexts are greatly insightful in understanding the contexts of the calls of birds that are understudied. For example, parallels can be drawn based on those uttered by Brewer’s Sparrows in order to further our understanding of them. There aren’t vocalizations among juveniles, but the observation of song elements birds share suggests that the structure of the songs is learned rather than inherited.

Clay-colored Sparrow Size

Clay-colored Sparrows are petite sparrows with a small bill. They have small bodies that are around 5.1–6 inches long, and a fairly long, notched tail that is about 2.4–2.7 inches long. These dainty birds weigh about 0.42 ounces, with their pointed wings having a wingspan of approximately 7.5 inches. The small, slender shape of these and other Spizella Sparrows is distinctive.

Clay-colored Sparrow Behavior

These birds frequently hop around on the ground, but they don’t run. They hop and clamber about twigs and branches within shrubs as well. They take direct flights but rarely go too high. When disturbed, they fly readily even if it is for short distances. Like other Sparrows, they don’t swim or have any affinity with water.

Clay-colored Sparrows are also not aggressive outside of the breeding seasons. Males are responsible for claiming and defending a territory, while females generally secure the regions around the nest. When they spot rival males, these males pursue their opponents by engaging in a chase. Chasing and fleeing are associated with the establishment and maintenance of territories early in the breeding season. While it is most frequently among males and their male opponents, females also occasionally chase males that are not their mate if they venture too close to the nest site. Physical encounters are highly uncommon but may occur in extreme cases. During all other seasons, these birds frequently form mixed-species flocks with other Sparrows.

Males arrive on breeding grounds several days before females and sing from visible perches to establish and defend breeding territories. Males offer food to their mates during the early phases of pair formation, with females initiating the courtship by quivering their wings and uttering a soft twittering call. There are only monogamous bonds between Clay-colored Sparrow mates, although these typically last only for the duration of the breeding season and most individuals form new pairs next year.

Clay-colored Sparrow Diet

Clay-colored Sparrows mostly eat the seeds and leaf buds of various grasses, forbs, and shrubs, including tumbleweed, alyssum, lambsquarters, soapberry, mustard, and mesquite. They stick close to the ground to feed. They also eat insects such as leafhoppers, ants, grasshoppers, and moths, as well as spiders. Clay-colored Sparrows are unusual in that they feed in areas outside their breeding territories. Foraging areas include shrubs and thickets, grassy fields, and brushy edges of rivers and streams.

Clay-colored Sparrow Habitat

Clay-colored Sparrows live in low shrublands during the breeding season. These can be open shrublands, thickets along the edges of forests, fields, and waterways, or shrubby areas regenerating from fire. On their winter range, they live in deserts and upland plains among thorn scrubs, grassy fields, and brushy hillsides.

Range and Migration

These birds breed in the shrubby open areas and jack pine wood across central Canada and central northern United States, east to the Great Lakes. Due to urban policies changing the natural geographical terrain of many regions, these birds expand their range eastwards toward New York and Ontario. Migration seasons take them to warmer regions around southern Texas and Mexico. In extremely rare cases, vagrants may stumble into the northernmost regions of South America.

Clay-colored Sparrow Lifecycle

Clay-colored Sparrows generally have a single brood per year, but sometimes have two. Each brood has a clutch size of 3–5 pale blue-green eggs. Incubation is mostly by the females for about 10–14 days, with both parents feeding the nestlings after they hatch. The young ones leave the nest around 7- 9 days after hatching, jumping to the ground, and then scrambling for cover. They learn how to fly after an additional week, after which they are independent.

Nesting

Their nests are close to the ground, often less than a foot high. Shrubs that usually nest include snowberry or rosebush. Nests built by younger birds are in grass tussocks. They chose shrubs with very little light penetrating through the foliage, generally to elude detection by predators.

Females build the nest, though males help with collecting grasses and twigs for building material. She uses these to build a platform and then shapes the cup by turning around in the nest and arranging the rim with her bill. She lines the nest with fine grasses and rootlets as well as hair from horses, deer, and cattle. Nest construction takes 2 to 4 days.

Anatomy of a Clay-colored Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrows are petite sparrows with a small bill. They have small bodies that are around 5.1–6 inches long, and a fairly long, notched tail that is about 2.4–2.7 inches long. These dainty birds weigh about 0.42 ounces, with their pointed wings having a wingspan of approximately 7.5 inches. The small, slender shape of these and other Spizella Sparrows is distinctive.

Final Thoughts

Clay-colored Sparrows are numerous, but their population appears to be declining, notably in Canada, the stronghold of their breeding range. Surveys estimate that across the species’ range there has been a 51% overall decline in numbers between 1966 and 2015. Local populations have been affected by agricultural spraying for pests, conversion of brushy areas to farm fields (especially in Canadian prairie provinces and Great Plains), and heavy livestock grazing in fields. The species’ range expansion eastward into Michigan, Ontario, and New York seems to be due to the regeneration of logged areas, abandonment of farm fields, and new Christmas tree plantations that now provide suitable Clay-colored Sparrow habitat where previously there was none. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, habitat management for Sharp-tailed Grouse seems to have benefited Clay-colored Sparrows as well.

These birds are the most numerous songbirds of shrub communities in the northern prairies. Not only are they easily observable, they offer numerous amounts of insights to birds that are closely related but not as well studied. Despite birding communities having more information on them compared to their relatives, there is still a lot of ground to be covered if we hope to perfect our understanding of these adorable birds. These birds are often underestimated due to their quaint appearances, but they are as interesting as any other bird. As one of the most familiar birds to American citizens, their random appearances when we least expect them are always welcome.

Ornithology

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Bird Watching Binoculars for IdentifyingClay-colored Sparrows

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Clay-colored Sparrows are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Clay-colored Sparrow Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Clay-colored Sparrow. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders ForClay-colored Sparrows

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Bird HousesForClay-colored Sparrows

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.