Brewer's sparrow

Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri) is a small, slim species of American sparrow in the family Passerellidae. This bird was named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer.

Description and systematics
Adults have grey-brown backs and speckled brown crowns, both with dark streaks, and a pale eye-ring. Their wings are brown with light wing bars and the underparts are pale grey. Their bill is pale with a dark tip and they have a long notched tail. They are similar in appearance to the clay-colored sparrow (S. pallida) but do not have a pale stripe on the crown or grey neck patch.

Measurements:


 * Length: 5.1-5.9 in (13-15 cm)
 * Weight: 0.4-0.5 oz (11-14 g)
 * Wingspan: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)

The male sings to defend a nesting territory. The song is a long varied mix of notes and trills. Males have two distinct types of songs – classified as short and long songs.

There are two distinct subspecies:
 * Brewer's sparrow proper, Spizella breweri breweri
 * Found in brushy areas, especially with sagebrush, in southern parts of western Canada and in the western United States.


 * Timberline sparrow, Spizella breweri taverneri
 * Found in thicketed areas around the tree line in the Rockies of British Columbia, Alberta, and northern Montana, the southern Yukon, and southeastern Alaska. These birds are somewhat darker and larger than the southern subspecies; some consider this to be a separate species.

Ecology and status
These birds migrate to the southwestern United States south to central Mexico. These birds forage primarily in shrubs or in low vegetation, but also on the ground. They mainly eat insects in summer with seeds becoming a more important part of the diet at other times of the year. They usually forage in flocks outside of the breeding season, sometimes with other sparrows. The female typically lays three to four eggs (up to five) in a cup nest in low shrubs.

Brewer's sparrow has decreased in some parts of its range. Causes are not well understood, but it is suspected that the decline is due at least in part to destruction of sagebrush habitat. Additional information on resource use and limitation during the wintering season is desperately needed. When the timberline sparrow was still considered a good species, Brewer's sparrow was classified as near threatened by the IUCN. However, as only entire species are evaluated for the IUCN Red List, following the merger the entire population of S. breweri is classified as species of least concern.

Book

 * Rotenberry, J. T., M. A. Patten, and K. L. Preston. 1999. Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri). In The Birds of North America, No. 390 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Report

 * Sarell MJ & McGuinness KP. (1996). Status of the brewer's sparrow in British Columbia. Victoria: Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks, Wildlife Branch, 1996. x, 12 p. (24 pages)

Thesis

 * Castrale JS. Ph.D. (1981). USE OF MANAGED SAGEBRUSH GRASSLANDS BY BIRD POPULATIONS. Brigham Young University, United States – Utah.
 * Chalfoun AD. Ph.D. (2006). Demographic and behavioral responses of breeding birds to variation in food, nest predation, and habitat structure across multiple spatial scales. University of Montana, United States – Montana.
 * Croteau EK. M.Sc. (2002). Conservation genetics of northern populations of a declining songbird, the Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri breweri) in a fragmented landscape. Queen's University at Kingston (Canada), Canada.
 * Gordon CE. Ph.D. (1999). Community ecology and management of wintering grassland sparrows in Arizona. The University of Arizona, United States – Arizona.
 * Howe FP. Ph.D. (1993). Effects of an experimental food reduction on nesting shrubsteppe passerines. Colorado State University, United States – Colorado.
 * Lewis AR. Ph.D. (2004). Sagebrush steppe habitats and their associated bird species in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming: Life on the edge of the sagebrush ecosystem. South Dakota State University, United States – South Dakota.
 * Mahony NA. Ph.D. (2003). Reproductive ecology and population viability of Brewer's sparrows at the northern edge of the breeding range. The University of British Columbia (Canada), Canada.
 * Pernanen SK. M.Sc. (1994). Behavioural and ecological interactions of Brewer's (Spizella breweri) and clay-colored (S. pallida) sparrows. University of Toronto (Canada), Canada.
 * Petersen KL. Ph.D. (1986). AVIAN ECOLOGICAL STUDIES IN A SAGEBRUSH COMMUNITY: BIRD RESPONSES TO FIRE AND TERRITORY DYNAMICS IN A SPARROW POPULATION (IDAHO). Iowa State University, United States – Iowa.
 * Walker BL. MSc. (2000). The structure, use, and function of song categories in the Brewer’s Sparrow. University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA.

Articles
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 * Belthoff JR, Powers LR & Reynolds TD. (1998). Breeding birds at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, 1985–1991. Great Basin Naturalist. vol 58, no 2. pp. 167–183.
 * Best LB & Petersen KL. (1985). Seasonal Changes in Detectability of Sage Amphispiza-Belli and Brewer's Sparrows Spizella-Breweri. Condor. vol 87, no 4. pp. 556–558.
 * Biermann GC, McGillivray WB & Nordin KE. (1987). The Effect of Cowbird Parasitism on Brewer's Sparrow Productivity in Alberta Canada. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 58, no 3. pp. 350–354.
 * Bock CE & Bock JH. (1987). Avian Habitat Occupancy Following Fire in a Montana USA Shrubsteppe. Prairie Naturalist. vol 19, no 3. pp. 153–158.
 * Bradford DF, Franson SE, Neale AC, Heggem DT, Miller GR & Canterbury GE. (1998). Bird species assemblages as indicators of biological integrity in Great Basin rangeland. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. vol 49, no 1. pp. 1–22.
 * Castrale JS. (1982). Effects of 2 Sagebrush Artemisia-Spp Control Methods on Nongame Birds. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol 46, no 4. pp. 945–952.
 * Dawson WR, Carey C, Adkisson CS & Ohmart RD. (1979). Responses of Brewers Sparrows Spizella-Breweri and Chipping Sparrows Spizella-Passerina to Water Restriction. Physiological Zoology. vol 52, no 4. pp. 529–541.
 * Doyle TJ. (1997). The timberline sparrow, Spizella (breweri) taverneri, in Alaska, with notes on breeding habitat and vocalizations. Western Birds. vol 28, no 1. pp. 1–12.
 * Eckert K. (1975). Hypothetical Brewers Sparrow Sighting. Loon. vol 47, no 1. pp. 40–41.
 * Gill MJ & Krannitz PG. (1997). A case of helping behavior at a Brewer's Sparrow, Spizella breweri, nest. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 111, no 4. pp. 650–652.
 * Gordon CE. (2000). Movement patterns of wintering grassland sparrows in Arizona. Auk. vol 117, no 3. pp. 748–759.
 * Griffin SC, Walker BL & Hart MM. (2003). Using GIS to guide field surveys for timberline sparrows in northwestern Montana. Northwest Science. vol 77, no 1. pp. 54–63.
 * Hill HO. (1980). Breeding Birds in a Desert Scrub Community in Southern Nevada USA. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 25, no 2. pp. 173–180.
 * Howe FP. (1991). Two New Host Species for the Parasitic Blow Fly Protocalliphora Braueri. The Wilson Bulletin. vol 103, no 3. p. 520.
 * Howe FP, Knight RL, McEwen LC & George TL. (1996). Direct and indirect effects of insecticide applications on growth and survival of nestling passerines. Ecological Applications. vol 6, no 4. pp. 1314–1324.
 * Howe FP, Knight RL, McEwen LC & George TL. (2000). Diet switching and food delivery by shrubsteppe passerines in response to an experimental reduction in food. Western North American Naturalist. vol 60, no 2. pp. 139–154.
 * Ingelfinger F & Anderson S. (2004). Passerine response to roads associated with natural gas extraction in a sagebrush steppe habitat. Western North American Naturalist. vol 64, no 3. pp. 385–395.
 * Klicka J, Zink RM, Barlow JC, McGillivray WB & Doyle TJ. (1999). Evidence supporting the recent origin and species status of the Timberline Sparrow. Condor. vol 101, no 3. pp. 577–588.
 * Klicka J, Zink RM, Barlow JC, McGillivray WB & Doyle TJ. (2001). The taxonomic rank of Spizella taverneri: A response to Mayr and Johnson. Condor. vol 103, no 2. pp. 420–422.
 * Knick ST & Rotenberry JT. (1995). Landscape characteristics of fragmented shrubsteppe habitats and breeding passerine birds. Conservation Biology. vol 9, no 5. pp. 1059–1071.
 * Knick ST & Rotenberry JT. (2000). Ghosts of habitats past: Contribution of landscape change to current habitats used by shrubland birds. Ecology. vol 81, no 1. pp. 220–227.
 * Knick ST & Rotenberry JT. (2002). Effects of habitat fragmentation on passerine birds breeding in Intermountain shrubsteppe. Studies in Avian Biology. vol 25, pp. 130–140.
 * Knopf FL, Sedgwick JA & Inkley DB. (1990). Regional Correspondence among Shrubsteppe Bird Habitats. Condor. vol 92, no 1. pp. 45–53.
 * Mahony NA, Krannitz PG & Martin K. (2006). Seasonal fecundity of sagebrush brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri breweri) at the northern edge of its breeding range. Auk. vol 123, no 2. pp. 512–523.
 * Mahony NA, Vander Haegen WM, Walker BL & Krannitz PG. (2001). Male incubation and multiple brooding in Sagebrush Brewer's Sparrows. Wilson Bulletin. vol 113, no 4. pp. 441–444.
 * Mayr E & Johnson NK. (2001). Is Spizella taverneri a species or a subspecies?. Condor. vol 103, no 2. pp. 418–419.
 * Nordin KE, McGillivray WB & Biermann GC. (1988). Courtship Feeding in Brewer's Sparrows Spizella-Breweri. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 59, no 1. pp. 33–36.
 * Noson AC, Schmitz RA & Miller RF. (2006). Influence of fire and Juniper encroachment on birds in high-elevation sagebrush steppe. Western North American Naturalist. vol 66, no 3. pp. 343–353.
 * Ohmart RD & Smith EL. (1970). Use of Sodium Chloride Solutions by the Brewers Sparrow and Tree Sparrow. Auk. vol 87, no 2. pp. 329–341.
 * Pavlacky DC Jr. & Anderson SH. (2004). Comparative habitat use in a juniper woodland bird community. Western North American Naturalist. vol 64, no 3. pp. 376–384.
 * Petersen KL & Best LB. (1985). Brewers Sparrow Spizella-Breweri Nest-Site Characteristics in a Sagebrush Community. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 56, no 1. pp. 23–27.
 * Petersen KL & Best LB. (1986). Diets of Nestling Sage Sparrows Amphispiza-Belli and Brewer's Sparrows Spizella-Breweri in an Idaho USA Sagebrush Community. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 57, no 4. pp. 283–294.
 * Petersen KL, Best LB & Winter BM. (1986). Growth of Nestling Sage Sparrows and Brewer's Sparrows. Wilson Bulletin. vol 98, no 4. pp. 535–546.
 * Ports MA. (1981). Miscellaneous Summer Records of Birds from Southwestern Kansas USA. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. vol 84, no 2. pp. 109–114.
 * Reisen WK, Chiles RE, Martinez VM, Fang Y & Green EN. (2003). Experimental infection of California birds with western equine encephalomyelitis and St. Louis encephalitis viruses. Journal of Medical Entomology. vol 40, no 6. pp. 968–982.
 * Reynolds TD. (1981). Nesting of the Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes-Montanus Sage Sparrow Amphispiza-Belli and Brewers Sparrow Spizella-Breweri in Southeastern Idaho USA. Condor. vol 83, no 1. pp. 61–64.
 * Rich T. (1980). Nest Placement in Sage Thrashers Oreoscoptes-Montanus Sage Sparrows Amphispiza-Belli and Brewers Sparrows Spizella-Breweri. Wilson Bulletin. vol 92, no 3. pp. 362–368.
 * Rich TD. (2002). The short song of Brewer's Sparrow: Individual and geographic variation in southern Idaho. Western North American Naturalist. vol 62, no 3. pp. 288–299.
 * Rotenberry JT & Wiens JA. (1989). Reproductive Biology of Shrubsteppe Passerine Birds Geographical and Temporal Variation in Clutch Size Brood Size and Fledging Success. Condor. vol 91, no 1. pp. 1–14.
 * Rotenberry JT & Wiens JA. (1991). Weather and Reproductive Variation in Shrubsteppe Sparrows a Hierarchical Analysis. Ecology. vol 72, no 4. pp. 1325–1335.
 * Rotenberry JT & Wiens JA. (1998). Foraging patch selection by shrubsteppe sparrows. Ecology. vol 79, no 4. pp. 1160–1173.
 * Vander Haegen WM, Dobler FC & Pierce DJ. (2000). Shrubsteppe bird response to habitat and landscape variables in eastern Washington, U.S.A. Conservation Biology. vol 14, no 4. pp. 1145–1160.
 * Walker BL. (2004).  Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Brewer's Sparrow.  Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. Available at: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/literatr/grasbird/brsp/brsp.htm (Version 12AUG2004).
 * Wiens JA & Rotenberry JT. (1980). Patterns of Morphology and Ecology in Grassland and Shrub Steppe Bird Populations. Ecological Monographs. vol 50, no 3. pp. 287–308.
 * Wiens JA & Rotenberry JT. (1985). Response of Breeding Passerine Birds to Rangeland Alteration in a North American Shrubsteppe Locality. Journal of Applied Ecology. vol 22, no 3. pp. 655–668.
 * Wiens JA, Rotenberry JT & Van Horne B. (1985). Territory Size Variations in Shrubsteppe Birds. Auk. vol 102, no 3. pp. 500–505.
 * Wiens JA, Rotenberry JT & Van Horne B. (1986). A Lesson in the Limitations of Field Experiments Shrubsteppe Birds and Habitat Alteration. Ecology. vol 67, no 2. pp. 365–376.
 * Wiens JA, Van Horne B & Rotenberry JT. (1987). Temporal and Spatial Variations in the Behavior of Shrub-Steppe Birds. Oecologia. vol 73, no 1. pp. 60–70.
 * Wilson Ornithol Soc Conserv C. (1976). Conservation Committee Report on Effects of Alteration of Sagebrush Communities on the Associated Avi Fauna. Wilson Bulletin. vol 88, no 1. pp. 165–171.
 * Woodcock JM. (2006). Brewer's Sparrow: First record for Ontario. Ontario Birds. vol 24, no 1. pp. 44–46.