Botteri’s Sparrows
<click on a photo to enlarge>
It was shortly after a light (and unusual) May rain that I heard a different and persistent song coming from the mesquite grassland that surrounds us. A bit of sleuthing around the property found a very plain sparrow singing from the top of an old agave stalk. I could detect no good field marks on the bird but the song was distinctive. It perfectly matched that of the Botteri’s Sparrow (Aimophila botterii). Another lifer announcing it’s presence on our land.
Botteri’s Sparrow (Aimophila botterii)
Found only in SE Arizona, SW New Mexico and in a small portion of the Texas Gulf Coast, this reclusive sparrow spends most of it’s time on the ground secluded in grasses. Only when the males are establishing their territory do they perch out in the open and sing. And I do mean sing. One day I heard singing from just after sunrise to sunset. I still hear them daily but not as frequently as last week. This morning I noticed a fleeing Canyon Towhee with a Botteri’s in hot pursuit. There’s lots of room here in these grasslands, guys!
Botteri’s are summer residents here, preferring tall native grasses, mesquites and ocotillo. They become more vocal and begin nesting after the summer rains. I’ll be keeping an eye out for nesting activity when the monsoon rains begin.
Here’s a video of one of the males singing. The song starts out with a few single notes and then ends in a “bouncing ball” trill. You’ll probably have to turn your volume up to hear it well. This was as close as I could get before it would dive back in to the grass.
Thank goodness for this distinctive song or I might still be scratching my head over the “mystery” sparrow I saw in the field one day.
Leave a Comment