Rufous-winged Sparrow occurs only in the extreme southwestern U.S. and adjacent Mexico. It has a plainer face without the white eyering or clean white malar (whisker) stripe of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Botteri’s Sparrow also has a very restricted range, and is found in the extreme southwestern U.S. and southernmost Texas. Botteri’s Sparrow is plainer and browner, without the rufous crown and eyestripe, and without the eyering and malar stripe of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Chipping Sparrow is much more widespread than the Rufous-crowned Sparrow and is not as restricted to open, dry, rocky hillsides. Chipping Sparrows are smaller, with a shorter tail and smaller bill than the Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Chipping Sparrows in breeding plumage have a white stripe over the eye and a black line through the eye, and white wingbars. Other sparrows with rufous crowns or rufous-and-gray face patterns, are the American Tree Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Field Sparrow, and Bachman’s Sparrow. These species generally do not overlap in range or habitat with the Rufous-crowned Sparrow.
Rufous-crowned Sparrows along the Pacific coast tend to be smaller and more reddish above than individuals in the Desert Southwest, which are browner above. Individuals from offshore islands such as California’s Channel Islands tend to be darker overall than mainland birds.
Find This Bird
Rufous-crowned Sparrows are habitat specialists, so the first step in finding them is to find a dry, rocky hillside with shrub cover that is not too dense. These birds tend to stay hidden and close to the ground except when singing, so you’ll have best results if you try during spring or early summer when males will be singing in the early morning from exposed perches. At other times of year you’ll need to be patient and keep a distance as you wait for foraging sparrows to move into open spaces between shrubs or patches of grass.