The Chaco sparrow (''Rhynchospiza strigiceps''), formerly known as the stripe-capped sparrow, is a species of

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 lightweigh ...

in the family

Passerellidae 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 ...

. It is found in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The current Chaco sparrow was originally one of two subspecies of the then stripe-capped sparrow (''Aimophila strigiceps''). A 2009 publication restored the genus ''Rhynchospiza'' and moved ''A. stolzmanii'' and ''A. strigiceps'' to that genus. A 2019 publication split ''Rhynchospiza dabbenei'' from ''R. strigiceps''.DaCosta, J. M., G. M. Spellman, P. Escalante, and J. Klicka. 2009. A molecular systematic revision of two historically problematic songbird clades: ''Aimophila'' and ''Pipilo''. J. Avian Biology 40:206-216 Based on the 2019 publication, in June 2020 the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) split ''R. dabbenei'' as the

Yungas sparrow The Yungas sparrow (''Rhynchospiza dabbenei'') is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae endemic to the Yungas region of southeastern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. It was formerly considered a subspecies of what was then called the ...

and renamed ''R. strigiceps

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'' as the Chaco sparrow. The

International Ornithological Congress International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(IOC) followed suit in January 2021.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 19 January 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved January 19, 2021

Description

The Chaco sparrow is the smaller of the two former subspecies that were split. Its upper parts are light brown with darker streaks and varying amounts of rust and gray. It is pale gray below blending to buff on the flanks. The head is gray with cinnamon crown and postocular stripes, pale lores, and a black moustachial stripe.Jaramillo, A. (2020). Stripe-capped Sparrow (''Rhynchospiza strigiceps''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.stcspa1.01 retrieved April 23, 2021

Distribution and habitat

The Chaco sparrow is a partial migrant found in the

Gran Chaco The Gran Chaco or Dry Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Gro ...

region from south-central Paraguay into north-central Argentina. This low elevation biome (up to ) is characterized by subtropical and tropical dry

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

Vocalization

The Chaco sparrow's song is complex trills that contrast with the Yungas sparrow's series of chirps.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has evaluated the Chaco sparrow ''

sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'' as of Least Concern.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2668938 Rhynchospiza Birds of the Gran Chaco Birds described in 1839 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot