Brewer’s Sparrow, Spizella breweri

Brewer’s Sparrow, Spizella breweri taverneri. Photograph taken within a residential community in Hereford, Arizona, March 2012. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Behrstock, Sierra Vista, Arizona (naturewideimages.com).

Background and Identification

The Brewer’s Sparrow, Spizella breweri, is a member of the Passerellidae family of Old World Sparrows. Most species in this family are brown and gray and lack any bright coloration. They are inconspicuous birds in their habitat and usually blend in perfectly with their surroundings. The Brewer’s Sparrow, much like the Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus, was named after the prominent ornithologist Thomas M. Brewer. Thomas was originally educated as a physician but had a wild passion for animals and the wild world. This species is known for its extremely subtle plumage, with no real distinctive features. It is said by many ornithologists that this species is tied to the sagebrush. In Mexico, the Brewer’s Sparrow is known as Chingolo de Brewer.

Adult Brewer’s Sparrows have a grayish-brown body with fine streaks on their back and wings, a pale gray or white underside, and a distinctive gray face with a faint, white eye-ring. Sexes have a small difference in size (dimorphism), but otherwise appear similar. They have a conical bill, which is pale at the base and darker towards the tip. Measuring about 13 cm (5.1 inches) to 14 cm (5.5 inches) in length with a wingspan of 18 cm (7.1 inches) to 20 cm (7.9 inches), these sparrows are relatively small and inconspicuous but can be identified by their high-pitched, trilling song. There is little to no change in the Brewer’s plumage between seasons.

Habitat and Geographical Range

Brewer’s Sparrows are primarily found in arid and semi-arid regions, preferring sagebrush steppe, shrublands, and open woodlands. They often inhabit areas with a mix of shrubs and grasses, which provide both nesting sites and food sources. Most of the areas that they inhabit are dry and brown, helping this sparrow remain hidden from predators. Brewer’s do not need much water and can go many days without drinking. During the breeding season, they are most commonly associated with sagebrush-dominated landscapes in the western United States and southern Canada.

Brewer’s Sparrows are migratory, traveling long distances between their breeding and wintering grounds. Their geographical range extends from the western United States and southwestern Canada during the breeding season to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico during the winter. Some populations inhabit southern California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur year-round and are classified as resident birds. This is most likely due to the milder climate in these regions.

Common Misidentifications

The Brewer’s Sparrow can be confused with other small, brown sparrows that share similar habitats. One common look-alike is the Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina, which has a rusty crown and a more distinct black eye line compared to the grayish face of the Brewer’s Sparrow. Chipping Sparrows also have a clearer, more defined white eyebrow stripe. Another potential confusion is with the Clay-colored Sparrow, Spizella pallida, which has a more distinct facial pattern with a dark eye line and a pale, buffy stripe above the eye. The Clay-colored Sparrow also tends to have a more uniform, pale brown back compared to the streaked back of the Brewer’s Sparrow.

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective the Brewer’s Sparrow is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. In the 1980s-1990s, populations of this species within their range began to decline for uncertain reasons, but have made comebacks since the early 2000s. Brewer’s Sparrow has been difficult to track due to their inconspicuous nature and nondistinctive plumage.