Grassland Sparrow - Ammodramus humeralis

Grassland Sparrow Ammodramus humeralis

Brazilian name: tico-tico-do-campo

Brazil

The Grassland Sparrow is found east of the Andes from Colombia to central Argentina but is missing from the Amazon Basin upstream from the rio Tapajós. It inhabits tall grasslands and cerrado.

It is a smallish streaked seedeater with yellow lores, a narrow white eye-ring and chestnut edging on the mantle and flight feathers. The juvenile, seen here in photo 4, has some streaks across the breast.

The very similar Yellow-browed Sparrow Ammodramus aurifrons has much more yellow on the face, has a different song and is found in different habitats such as roadsides, river banks and agricultural areas.

Grassland Sparrow, Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil, December 2006 - click for larger image

The Grassland Sparrow usually runs and hops on the ground and is easily overlooked unless it perches to sing.

There are recordings on xeno-canto, a distribution map from NatureServe and additional information available via Avibase. There is also a page on Wikiaves.

Juvenile Grassland Sparrow, Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil, December 2006 - click for larger image

Grassland Sparrow, Mucugê, Bahia, Brazil, October 2008 - click for larger image

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