The striking Black-throated Sparrow is a denizen of open deserts of the western United States and Mexico.This sparrow has a black throat, gray body, and white face stripes. The outer tail feathers have white tips.It is declining across its range in the United States, probably because of habitat loss to urban development. This bird breeds from northeastern California, southwestern Wyoming, and southeastern Colorado southward. It winters north to the desert regions of the southern United States. The Black-throated Sparrow prefers a sparse, isolated desert environment. Hot, dry weather in the desert uplands, creosote bush and scrub environments are the most frequent habitats. These sparrows prefer terrain that is either steeply sloped or very flat.The Black-throated Sparrow establishes and holds a large territory during nest construction and egg laying. Once incubation starts, the territory boundary shrinks, and the male becomes less responsive to intruders. It has a great tolerance for heat and drought. During the hot months of late summer and early fall it maintains itself on dry seeds and drinks regularly at water holes. After the rains, these sparrows scatter into small flocks and feed on vegetation and insects, from which they derive all the moisture they need.(Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds (Online)). |
