Botteri's sparrow

Botteri's sparrow
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Peucaea
Species: P. botterii
Binomial name
Peucaea botterii
(Sclater, 1858)
Subspecies
  • Peucaea botterii arizonae
  • Peucaea botterii botterii
  • Peucaea botterii goldmani
  • Peucaea botterii mexicana
  • Peucaea botterii petenica
  • Peucaea botterii spadiconigrescens
  • Peucaea botterii texana
  • Peucaea botterii vantynei
  • Peucaea botterii vulcanica
Synonyms[2]

Aimophila botterii

The Botteri's sparrow (Peucaea botterii) is a medium-sized sparrow.

This passerine bird is primarily found in Mexico, with a breeding range that extends into the southeastern tip of the U.S. state of Arizona, and a small non-migratory population in the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas, which is threatened by loss of habitat.

It was not found in Arizona between the 1890s and the mid-20th century due to excessive grazing of livestock; 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; the uncommon native sacaton grass Sporobolus wrightii is preferred, but stands of introduced non-native Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana) and Boer lovegrass (E. curvula var. conferta) are also successfully utilized, though at lower population densities.[3]

The name of this species commemorates the ornithologist Matteo Botteri (1808–1877).

References

  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Peucaea botterii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. Peucaea botterii on Avibase
  3. Jones, Zach F. & Bock, Carl E. (2005): The Botteri's sparrow and exotic Arizona grasslands: an ecological trap or habitat regained? Condor 107(4): 731–741. [Article in English with Spanish abstract] doi:10.1650/7741.1 (HTML abstract)

Further reading

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