Prevost's ground sparrow (''Melozone biarcuata''), also known as the white-faced ground sparrow, is an

American sparrow New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns. Although they share t ...

Etymology

Its

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

name commemorates French naturalist

Florent Prévost Florent Prévost (1794 – 1 February 1870) was a French naturalist and illustrator. Prévost was assistant naturalist at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. He was the author of various zoological works, including ''Les Pigeons par Madame ...

Distribution and habitat

This bird breeds at middle altitudes from southern

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 Guate ...

to western Honduras. The

Cabanis's ground sparrow Cabanis's ground sparrow or Costa Rican ground sparrow (''Melozone cabanisi''), is an American sparrow. It previously was considered a subspecies of the Prevost's ground sparrow. Cabanis's ground sparrow is endemic to central Costa Rica. It is ...

was previously considered a subspecies. It is found typically at altitudes between 600 and 1600 m in the undergrowth and thickets of semi-open woodland,

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

plantations, hedgerows and large gardens.

Description

Prevost's ground sparrow is on average 15 cm long and weighs 28 g. The adult has a stubby dark-grey bill, unstreaked olive-brown upperparts, a

rufous Rufous () is a color that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish- red, as of rust or oxidised iron. The first recorded use of ''rufous'' as a color name in English was in 1782. However, the color is also recorded earlier in 1527 as a di ...

crown and mainly white underparts. Young birds are browner above, have yellower underparts, and a duller indistinct head pattern. It has a simple head pattern in which the rufous of the crown extends down the sides of the neck as a half collar behind the white face.

Behaviour

Usually found in pairs, the bird is a shy species best seen at or near dusk. They sometimes venture in the open in the early morning.

Breeding

The nest, built by the female, is a neat lined

cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, c ...

constructed less than 2 m up in a bush or large

tussock Tussock may refer to: * Tussock grass, a group of species in the family Poaceae *Floating island * Lymantriinae, called tussock moths or tussocks See also * Hassock (disambiguation) Hassock may refer to: * Kneeler, a cushion or a piece of f ...

. The female lays a clutch of two or three ruddy-blotched white eggs, which she incubates for 12–14 days. The male helps in feeding the chicks. This species is sometimes parasitised by the

bronzed cowbird The bronzed cowbird (''Molothrus aeneus''), once known as the red-eyed cowbird, is a small icterid. They breed from the U.S. states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana south through Central America to Panama. They tend to be ...

Feeding

The bird feeds on the ground on seeds, fallen berries,

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s and

spider Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species d ...

Voice

Calls include a thin or a clearer . The male's song, given from a hidden perch in the wet season, is a whistled .

References

External links

Photo-High Res
VIREO * ttp://www.birdguatemala.org/bigjpegs/Prevost's_Ground-Sparrow.jpg Photos ttp://www.birdguatemala.org/bridsguate.htm Articlebirdguatemala {{Taxonbar, from=Q1586396

Prevost's ground sparrow Prevost's ground sparrow (''Melozone biarcuata''), also known as the white-faced ground sparrow, is an American sparrow. Etymology Its English name commemorates French naturalist Florent Prévost. Distribution and habitat This bird breeds at ...

Birds of Mexico Birds of Guatemala Birds of El Salvador Birds of Honduras