American sparrow

American sparrows
American tree sparrow
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Emberizidae
Genera
see text

American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns.

Although they share the name sparrow, American sparrows are more closely related to Old World buntings (which are also in the family Emberizidae) than they are to the Old World sparrows (family Passeridae).^[1][2] American sparrows are also similar in both appearance and habit to finches, with which they sometimes used to be classified.

Species in taxonomic order

Genus Arremon (approx 20 species)

Genus Arremonops

• Olive sparrow, Arremonops rufivirgatus
• Tocuyo sparrow, Arremonops tocuyensis
• Green-backed sparrow, Arremonops chloronotus
• Black-striped sparrow, Arremonops conirostris

Genus Melozone

• Rusty-crowned ground sparrow, Melozone kieneri
• Prevost's ground sparrow, Melozone biarcuatum
• White-eared ground sparrow, Melozone leucotis
• Brown towhees:
  • California towhee, Melozone crissalis
  • Canyon towhee, Melozone fuscus
  • Abert's towhee, Melozone aberti
  • White-throated towhee, Melozone albicollis

Genus Pipilo

• Green-tailed towhee, Pipilo chlorurus
• Collared towhee, Pipilo ocai
• Rufous-sided towhees:
  • Eastern towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus
  • Spotted towhee, Pipilo maculatus
    • Olive-backed towhee, Pipilo maculatus macronyx
  • Socorro towhee, Pipilo socorroensis

Genus Peucaea

• Bridled sparrow, Peucaea mystacalis
• Black-chested sparrow, Peucaea humeralis
• Stripe-headed sparrow, Peucaea ruficauda
• Cinnamon-tailed sparrow, Peucaea sumichrasti
• Rufous-winged sparrow, Peucaea carpalis
• Bachman's sparrow, Peucaea aestivalis
• Cassin's sparrow, Peucaea cassinii

Genus Aimophila

• Stripe-capped sparrow, Aimophila strigiceps
• Tumbes sparrow, Aimophila stolzmanni
• Rufous-crowned sparrow, Aimophila ruficeps
• Oaxaca sparrow, Aimophila notosticta
• Botteri's sparrow, Aimophila botterii
• Rusty sparrow, Aimophila rufescens

Genus Oriturus

• Striped sparrow, Oriturus superciliosus

Genus Torreornis

• Zapata sparrow, Torreornis inexpectata

Genus Spizelloides

• American tree sparrow, Spizelloides arborea

Genus Spizella

• Chipping sparrow, Spizella passerina
• Clay-colored sparrow, Spizella pallida
• Brewer's sparrow, Spizella breweri
  • Timberline sparrow, Spizella breweri taverneri
• Field sparrow, Spizella pusilla
• Worthen's sparrow, Spizella wortheni
• Black-chinned sparrow, Spizella atrogularis

Genus Pooecetes

• Vesper sparrow, Pooecetes gramineus

Genus Chondestes

• Lark sparrow, Chondestes grammacus

Genus Amphispiza

• Black-throated sparrow, Amphispiza bilineata
• Five-striped sparrow, Amphispiza quinquestriata

Genus Artemisiospiza

• Sage sparrow, Artemisiospiza belli
  • Bell's sparrow, Artemisiospiza (belli) belli
  • Sagebrush sparrow, Artemisiospiza (belli) nevadensis

Genus Calamospiza

• Lark bunting, Calamospiza melanocorys

Genus Passerculus

• Savannah sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis
  • Ipswich sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis princeps
• Large-billed sparrow, Passerculus rostratus

Genus Ammodramus

• Seaside sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus
  • Dusky seaside sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens (extinct, 1987)
• Nelson's sparrow, Ammodramus nelsoni
• Saltmarsh sparrow, Ammodramus caudacutus
• Le Conte's sparrow, Ammodramus leconteii
• Henslow's sparrow, Ammodramus henslowii
• Baird's sparrow, Ammodramus bairdii
• Grasshopper sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum
• Grassland sparrow, Ammodramus humeralis
• Yellow-browed sparrow, Ammodramus aurifrons

Genus Passerella

• Fox sparrow, Passerella iliaca
  • Red fox sparrow, Passerella (iliaca) iliaca
  • Sooty fox sparrow, Passerella (iliaca) unalaschcensis
  • Slate-colored fox sparrow, Passerella (iliaca) schistacea
  • Thick-billed fox sparrow, Passerella (iliaca) megarhyncha

Genus Xenospiza

• Sierra Madre sparrow, Xenospiza baileyi

Genus Melospiza

• Song sparrow, Melospiza melodia
• Lincoln's sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii
• Swamp sparrow, Melospiza georgiana

Genus Zonotrichia

• White-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
• White-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis
• Golden-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
• Rufous-collared sparrow, Zonotrichia capensis
• Harris's sparrow, Zonotrichia querula

Genus Junco

• Dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis
  • White-winged junco, Junco (hyemalis) aikeni
• Yellow-eyed junco, Junco phaeonotus
• Guadalupe junco, Junco insularis
• Volcano junco, Junco vulcani

References

1. Allende, Luis M.; Rubio, Isabel; Ruíz-del-Valle, Valentin; Guillén, Jesus; Martínez-Laso, Jorge; Lowy, Ernesto; Varela, Pilar; Zamora, Jorge; Arnaiz-Villena, Antonio (2001). "The Old World sparrows (genus Passer) phylogeography and their relative abundance of nuclear mtDNA pseudogenes" (PDF). Journal of Molecular Evolution. 53 (2): 144–154. doi:10.1007/s002390010202. PMID 11479685. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011.
2. Arnaiz-Villena, A; Gómez-Prieto P; Ruiz-de-Valle V (2009). "Phylogeography of finches and sparrows". Nova Science Publishers. ISBN 978-1-60741-844--3.

• Byers, Olsson and Curson, Buntings and Sparrows ISBN 1-873403-19-4

External links

• American Sparrow videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection