Black-chinned Sparrow, Spizella atrogularis


Black-chinned Sparrow
Black-chinned Sparrows are regular but rare and hard-to-find nesting birds on the dry chaparral slopes of the upper Santa Cruz Mountains, the same habitat in which we find (with difficulty) the Sage Sparrow. In late June of 2012 I was lucky to have this singing male Black-chinned Sparrow pose for me, in good light and with a nice background, just off Summit Road near the summit of Loma Prieta. They have a beautiful song, somewhat similar to that of the famous "troubador of the chaparral," the Wrentit, but even more lyrical in sound. In appearance, they bear some resemblance to the Dark-eyed Junco.
 


Black-chinned Sparrow


Black-chinned Sparrow
The female Black-chinned Sparrow in breeding plumage lacks the black chin, and they are even harder to photograph or even
see, as they don't come out in the open to sing. This one was carrying nesting material
; I wasn't able to get a sharp picture
of her, but it's the only one I have of a female of the species.