Botteri's sparrow (''Peucaea botterii'') is a medium-sized sparrow.
This
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
is primarily found in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, with a breeding range that extends into the southeastern tip of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, and a small non-migratory population in the
Rio Grande Valley
The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...
of southern
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, which is
threatened
Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...
by loss of habitat.
It was not found in Arizona between the 1890s and the mid-20th century due to excessive
grazing
In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...
of
livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animal ...
; now it is locally common in its Arizona range due to recovery of vegetation. Juvenile birds apparently need dense vegetation to hide in during
fledging
Fledging is the stage in a flying animal's life between hatching or birth and becoming capable of flight.
This term is most frequently applied to birds, but is also used for bats. For altricial birds, those that spend more time in vulnerable c ...
Sporobolus wrightii
''Sporobolus wrightii'' is a species of grass known by the common names big sacaton and giant sacaton. It is native to the western United States and northern and central Mexico.introduced non-native Lehmann lovegrass ('' Eragrostis lehmanniana'') and Boer lovegrass ( ''E. curvula'' var. ''conferta'') are also successfully utilized, though at lower
population densities
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
.Jones, Zach F. & Bock, Carl E. (2005): The Botteri's sparrow and exotic Arizona grasslands: an ecological trap or habitat regained? ''
Condor
Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.
They are:
* The Andean condor (''Vu ...
*Webb, E. A., and C. E. Bock. 1996. ''Botteri’s Sparrow (Aimophila botterii)''. In ''The Birds of North America'', No. 216 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.
Thesis
*Jones ZF. Ph.D. (2003). ''The impacts of an exotic habitat on the population dynamics of a grassland specialist, the Botteri's sparrow (Aimophila botterii), in southeastern Arizona''. University of Colorado at Boulder, United States, Colorado.
*Kirkpatrick CK. M.S. (1999). ''Trends in grassland bird abundance following prescribed burning in southern Arizona''. The University of Arizona, United States, Arizona.
Articles
*Bock CE & Bock JH. (1992). ''Response of Birds to Wildfire in Native Versus Exotic Arizona Grassland''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 37, no 1. pp. 73–81.
*Bock CE & Bock JH. (2002). ''Numerical response of grassland birds to cattle ranching versus exurban development in southeastern Arizona''. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting Abstracts. vol 87, no 79.
*Borror DJ. (1971). ''Songs of Aimophila Sparrows Occurring in the USA''. Wilson Bulletin. vol 83, no 2. pp. 132–151.
*Contreras-Balderas AJ. (1988). ''New Records of Birds from Nuevo León Mexico''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 33, no 2. pp. 251–252.
*Conway DK & Benson KLP. (1990). ''A Range Extension for Nesting Botteri's Sparrow Aimophila-Botterii in Southern Texas USA''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 35, no 3. pp. 348–349.
*Deviche P, McGraw K & Greiner EC. (2005). ''Interspecific differences in hematozoan infection in sonoran desert Aimophila sparrows''. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. vol 41, no 3. pp. 532–541.
*Eaton MD. (2007). ''Avian visual perspective on plumage coloration confirms rarity of sexually monochromatic North American passerines''. Auk. vol 124, no 1. pp. 155–161.
*Fall BA. (1973). ''Noteworthy Bird Records from South Texas Kenedy County''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 18, no 2. pp. 244–246.
*Jones ZF & Bock CE. (2002). ''Nest success as a misleading indicator of habitat quality in the Botteri's Sparrow''. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting Abstracts. vol 87, no 171.
*Kirkpatrick C, DeStefano S, Mannan RW & Lloyd J. (2002). ''Trends in abundance of grassland birds following a spring prescribed burn in southern Arizona''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 47, no 2. pp. 282–292.
*Maurer BA, Webb EA & Bowers RK. (1989). ''Nest Characteristics and Nestling Development of Cassin's and Botteri's Sparrows in Southeastern Arizona USA''. Condor. vol 91, no 3. pp. 736–738.
*Ohmart RD. (1968). ''Breeding of Botteris Sparrow Aimophila-Botterii in Arizona USA''. Condor. vol 70, no 3.
*Swanson DW. (1985). ''New Nesting Record for Botteris Sparrow Aimophila-Botterii in South Texas USA''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 30, no 1. pp. 161–161.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2926374
Botteri's sparrowNative birds of the Southwestern United StatesBirds of the Rio Grande valleysBirds of MexicoBirds of Central AmericaBotteri's sparrowBotteri's sparrow