Rufous-collared Sparrow

Description:

The rufous-collared sparrow is an American sparrow. This specific adult I saw on the beach near the end of Arroyo Maldonado in La Barra, Uruguay. There was a cold wind which caused his feathers to ruffle now and then. Adults have a stubby grey bill and a grey head with broad black stripes on the crown sides and thinner stripes through the eye and below the cheeks. The nape and breast sides are rufous and the upper parts are black-streaked buff-brown. There are two white wing bars. The throat is white, and the underparts are off-white, becoming brown on the flanks and with a black breast patch. Younger have a duller, indistinct head pattern, with brown stripes and a buff ground colour. They lack the rufous collar, and have streaked underparts. It measures 13.5–15 cm (5.3–5.9 in) long and weighs 20–25 g (0.71–0.88 oz).

Habitat:

This bird lives in a wide range of habitats, often near humans, from the extreme south-east of Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, and on the island of Hispaniola, in open areas including cultivation, gardens, parks and scrubby second growth. It copes well with urban and suburban environments, but is absent from the Amazon basin.