I had the opportunity to photograph a few Brewer's in Arizona in September 2012. I say Brewer's because they are expected there - vastly outnumbering Clay-colored. But matching up some of the pictures to field guides was more difficult than you would think, especially with few actual photographs to compare to. I have a few of my pictures available online still, if anyone wants to compare. In one of them, the tail appears especially long. Also of note is that the crown streaking looks finer to me than on the Queens bird. Of course, age and time of year have to be taken into account.
The address is http://stevewalternature.com/steve/sparrows.htm . The pictures to look at are labeled Las Cienagas 07, 08, and 09. Steve Walter From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David Klauber Sent: Monday, December 21, 2015 8:36 PM To: NY Birds <[email protected]> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Queens spizella sparrow I've done a bit of research on this and I think identification to species is inconclusive, as there seem to be characteristics that favor both Clay-colored and Brewer's. There is more confusion because I think the side of the face that shows a black semi-circle might be feather bases caused by the wind or ruffled feathers, since neither species shows this. Like almost everyone else I don't have extensive experience with either species, especially Brewer's, but here's what I've found from checking the Nat Geo, Sibley, Stokes photo guide, and Rising & Beadle's sparrow guide. There seems to be weak streaking on the gray nape, which I think should be stronger for Brewer's, but shouldn't be there for Clay-colored. The eye-ring seems a bit weak for Brewer's as well - could it be worn? The black streaks on the back are listed as good for Brewer's by Rising, etc, but Sibley paints Clay-colors with a similar pattern. Deborah Allen mentioned the tail looking short for Brewer's, and most books show Brewer's with a long tail. The overall color looks more like the grayish-brown of Brewer's. The face pattern doesn't look strong enough for Clay-color, but doesn't really match Brewer's either. The Stokes guide has a photo on page 666, bottom left, which comes pretty close to the Queens bird, but not quite. There is supposed to be a difference in the cheek color, but the previously mentioned black semicircle obscures this, although I think it's more gray (Brewer's) than buff (Clay-color). I don't know what to make of the faint blurry streaks on the side of the breast, but it does match the same Stokes photo. The pink bill is black on top, also good for Brewer's. So to my eyes a real head-scratcher. Hybrid seems the easy way out, but I don't know much about worn or transitional plumages for either. In any event a very interesting bird, even if it's a dull LBJ. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> eBird! -- -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
