Cabanis's ground sparrow or Costa Rican ground sparrow (''Melozone cabanisi''), 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 ...

. It previously was considered a subspecies of the

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 ...

. Cabanis's ground sparrow is endemic to central Costa Rica. It is ranked as "

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...

" by the IUCN due to its small range most of which has been deforested for centuries. The species has adapted well to secondary habitats and coffee plantations, and should not be considered at risk.

Description

It 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. The rufous of the crown extends to behind the eye and is bordered on its anterior edge with black. This black border is broken by a white eye ring. The forehead is white, bordered below with a thin black line; there is a black malar stripe, and a black central breast patch.

References

*Stiles and Skutch, ''A guide to the birds of Costa Rica'', {{Taxonbar, from=Q12263362 Cabanis's ground sparrow Birds of Costa Rica Endemic fauna of Costa Rica Cabanis's ground sparrow Cabanis's ground sparrow Cabanis's ground sparrow