Worthen’s Sparrow: Rain Rover

_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

Although it resembles the more numerous and widely distributed Field Sparrow of the United States, the rare and Endangered Worthen’s Sparrow is restricted to the arid open lands of Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert, where it times its nesting to the yearly patterns of rainfall. Though it’s not considered a migratory species, the Worthen’s Sparrow tends to wander in search of water and other resources after the nesting season, joining mixed-species flocks of Vesper, Brewer’s, Clay-colored, and Black-throated Sparrows and Western Bluebirds.

As with many other threatened and endangered species, the Worthen’s Sparrow is being squeezed out of its range by unsustainable land use. This is a problem faced by other rare sparrows, including the “Oregon” Vesper Sparrow, the Endangered “Florida” Grasshopper Sparrow, and the “Cape Sable” Seaside Sparrow.

Also known as: Worthen’s Bunting

Read more about the Worthen’s Sparrow at https://abcbirds.org/birds/worthens-sparrow/