From Opus

Zonotrichia capensis

Photo by Pere Sugranyes.
Photo taken: Colombian Andes, from 1650 meters to near 3000 meters.

[edit] Identification

13.5-15 cm. Stubby grey bill, grey head with broad black stripes on the crown sides and thinner stripes through the eye and below the cheeks, rufous nape and breast sides, upperparts are black-streaked buff-brown, two white wing bars, white throat, underparts are off-white, becoming brown on the flanks and with a black breast patch. Young birds have a duller, indistinct head pattern, with brown stripes and a buff ground colour. They lack the rufous collar, and have streaked underparts.

[edit] Distribution

All of South America except for the Amazon and Orinoco basins, Central America, southern Mexico, and Hispaniola, mostly above 600 metres, though it can occur even in coastal areas (e.g. Lima).

[edit] Taxonomy

Polytypic. Consists of twenty-eight subspecies.

[edit] Habitat

Cultivated open areas, gardens, parks and scrubland.

[edit] Behaviour

The female builds a cup shaped nest of plant material lined with fine grasses, in matted vegetation on the ground, low in a tree or bush, or in a niche in a wall. 2-3 brown-blotched greenish-blue eggs are laid, and are incubated by the female for 12-14 days. The male helps in feeding the chicks.

In Brazil these sparrows are parasitized by Shiny Cowbirds, which show a marked preference for their nests.

The diet includes seeds, fallen grain, insects and spiders. It is a ground feeder.

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