The genus ''Spizella'' is a group of American sparrows 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 ...

. These birds are fairly small and slim, with short bills, round heads and long wings. They are usually found in semi-open areas, and outside of the

nesting season The nesting season is the time of year during which birds and some other animals, particularly some reptiles, build nests, lay eggs in them, and in most cases bring up their young. It is usually in the spring. Bird conservation Bird conservat ...

they often forage in small mixed flocks.

Systematics

This genus was formerly placed with the Old World

buntings The buntings are a group of Old World passerine birds forming the genus ''Emberiza'', the only genus in the family Emberizidae. The family contains 45 species. They are seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills. Taxonomy The family Emberizi ...

in the family Emberizidae. However, genetic studies revealed that

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

sparrows formed a distinct clade and thus it was placed in the resurrected family Passerellidae.

Species

* Chipping sparrow, ''Spizella passerina'' *

Clay-colored sparrow The clay-colored sparrow or clay-coloured sparrow (''Spizella pallida'') is a small New World sparrow of North America. Adults have light brown upperparts and pale underparts, with darker streaks on the back. They have a pale crown stripe on a ...

, ''Spizella pallida'' * Brewer's sparrow, ''Spizella breweri'' ** Timberline sparrow, ''Spizella breweri taverneri'' *

Field sparrow The field sparrow (''Spizella pusilla'') is a small New World sparrow in the family Passerellidae. It is about long and weighs about . The head is grey with a rust-coloured crown, white eye-ring and pink bill. The upper parts are brown streak ...

, ''Spizella pusilla'' * Worthen's sparrow, ''Spizella wortheni'' *

Black-chinned sparrow The black-chinned sparrow (''Spizella atrogularis'') is a small bird in the genus '' Spizella'', in the New World sparrow family Passerellidae. It is found in the southwestern United States and throughout much of Mexico north of the Isthmus of T ...

, ''Spizella atrogularis'' The American tree sparrow, ''Spizelloides arborea'', was formerly a member of this group, but is now placed in its own

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

genus ''Spizelloides''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q955626 Bird genera American sparrows Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte