From Opus

Photo by: Gary Clark.
Location: Patagonia Lake, Arizona, USA.

Chondestes grammacus

[edit] Identification

[edit] Adult

• Dark-streaked brown back
• White underparts with dark central spot
• Chestnut cheeks and crown sides
• White eyebrow and crown stripes
• White corners on dark tail
• Yellowish or pink-grey bill
• Dull legs
• Sepia or brown iris

[edit] Juvenile

• Duller
• Streaked underparts

[edit] Distribution

Southern Canada, the USA, and northern Mexico.

[edit] Habitat

Open habitats including grasslands and cultivation.

[edit] Taxonomy

Two subspecies are recognized: C. g. grammacus breeds in the eastern portion of the species’ range west to Wisconsin and Minnesota, south through eastern Nebraska and eastern Kansas to northeast Texas. Chestnut head markings and plumage are darker than C. g. strigatus, which breeds west of grammacus.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

3-6 eggs are laid in a grass cup nest sheltered by a clump of grass or other vegetation. The eggs are white with black scrawling.

[edit] Diet

Includes seeds and insects, including grasshoppers are also eaten in the breeding season.

[edit] External Links

• Colorado Sagebrush: Lark Sparrow