![]() The breeding season is limited by food availability and ultimately rainfall. Tame and approachable, it is common throughout its large range and not considered threatened by the IUCN.Īdult rufous-collared sparrow feeds a parasitic shiny cowbird ( Molothrus bonariensis) fledgling in São Paulo, Brazil It will sometimes join mixed-species feeding flocks and has been observed to pick termites from spider webs. It is usually seen in pairs which hold small territories, or in small flocks. The rufous-collared sparrow feeds on the ground on seeds, fallen grain, insects and spiders. In that scenario, the bird’s ancestors were present across the region during the much cooler climes of the last glacial period, but was left marooned in the highest Hispaniolan mountains once warming began. It is also scarce on the Guiana Shield, occurring mainly on some tepuis and in the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana.Įxplaining the presence of this species in the island of Hispaniola and absence from the rest of the Caribbean basin, may be a similar theory to the one proposed for the Hispaniolan crossbill ( Loxia megaplaga). It copes well with urban and suburban environments, but is absent from the densely forested sections of the Amazon Basin. It can be seen in virtually any open or semi-open habitat, including cultivation, gardens, parks, grassland and scrubby second growth or cerrado. In the northern and western part of its range, this generally abundant bird is typically found at altitudes of 600–4,000 m (2,000–13,100 ft), but in the southern and eastern part it is commonly found down to near sea level. This form might be separable as a distinct species, or it might just be a particularly distinct population due to genetic bottleneck effects. perezchincillae, has grey underparts, and the rufous collar extends as a black band of freckles across the breast. In general, the smaller forms occur in coastal mountains, intermediate birds in the Andes, and large, darker, forms breed on the tepuis. They lack the rufous collar, and have streaked underparts. Young birds have a duller, indistinct head pattern, with brown stripes and a buff ground colour. The throat is white, and the underparts are off-white, becoming brown on the flanks and with a black breast patch. The nape and breast sides are rufous and the upperparts are black-streaked buff-brown. The adult has a stubby grey bill and a grey head with broad black stripes on the crown sides and thinner stripes through the eye and below the cheeks.
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