Clay-colored Sparrow x Brewer's Sparrow

Apparent Clay-colored Sparrow x Brewer's Sparrow hybrid, Kinney SWA, Lincoln County (Colorado, USA), 4th May 2015 - copyright Steve Mlodinow

(photo ID: 2247)

Steve describes how he concluded that 'hybrid' seems the best solution for this intriguing bird:

"The gray underparts, gray face, dull supercilium and eyering, and nape streaking all favor Brewer's Sparrow.  The bill size, white throat, strong malar and moustachial, and bit of buff on flanks fits Clay-colored Sparrow.  This combiantion doesn't fit with Timberline Brewer's Sparrow, which is somewhat intermediate between typical Brewer's and Clay-colored Sparrow, leaving Clay-colored Sparrow x Brewer's Sparrow as the best solution."

Apparent Clay-colored Sparrow x Brewer's Sparrow hybrid (same bird as in photo ID 2247), Kinney SWA, Lincoln County (Colorado, USA), 4th May 2015 - copyright Steve Mlodinow

(photo IDs: 2244-2246)

Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
Brewer's Sparrow Spizella breweri
Timberline Brewer's Sparrow Spizella breweri taverneri

Clay-colored Sparrow x Field Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow x Field Sparrow hybrid, Grand Isle, Lake Champlin (Vermont, USA), May and July 1998 - copyright Dave Hoag

(photo ID: 1801)

Vermont is outside of the normal range for Clay-colored Sparrow but Dave sound-recorded a singing bird on Grand Isle between 29th May and 5th June 1997.  On 23rd July he recorded a second bird, but while this one shared the buzzy quality of Clay-colored Sparrow its song pattern, with added trill at the end, more closely resembled Field Sparrow.  Its plumage was intermediate too, ruling out any possibility that it was a Field Sparrow that had learned Clay-colored song.  Moreover Dave tells us that by August its face pattern remained different from Clay-colored Sparrow (not sharply defined as on worn adult Clay-colored), eliminating any chance that it was a Clay-colored Sparrow that had learned Field Sparrow song (also its bill was pink).

This bird returned in the summers of 1998 and 1999 when it was paired with a female Field Sparrow, and they raised 2-3 young successfully in 1999.

The Vermont Birds Records Committee concurred with Dave's identification and in 1999 the occurrence was published in Wilson Bulletin 111 (4): 581-584 along with sonograms of the bird's song.


Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla