Order Passeriformes Higher classification Amphispiza | Phylum Chordata Family Emberizidae Scientific name Artemisiospiza nevadensis Rank Species | |
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Similar Bird, Brewer's sparrow, Black‑throated sparrow, Green‑tailed towhee, Cassin's sparrow | ||
Sagebrush sparrow singing
The sagebrush sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) is a medium-sized sparrow of the western United States and northwestern Mexico. It used to be placed in the genus Amphispiza, but evidence from 2007 and 2009 suggested it be placed in its own genus.
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Sagebrush sparrows are indeed often tied to sagebrush habitats, although they can also be found in brushy stands of saltbush, chamise, and other low shrubs of the arid interior west.
The species breeds in the interior of the Western United States (between the Rocky Mountains and the coastal ranges such as the Cascades). It winters in the Mexican-border states and northern Sonora and Chihuahua.
Although sagebrush sparrow numbers are generally strong, significant declines in sagebrush habitat in the west could be expected to decrease populations in the near future.
The sagebrush sparrow, together with the Bell's sparrow, were considered conspecific and known as the sage sparrow before being split by the American Ornithologists' Union in 2013.
Sagebrush sparrows
