Rufous-winged Sparrow, Peucaea carpalis
The Rufous-winged Sparrow is found north of Mexico only in southern Arizona and New Mexico, and within its limited range it is shy and elusive. One dependable place to find these handsome little birds is Bill Forbes's Pond at Elephant Head, south of Tucson, a place set up for bird photography, and that is where all the pictures on this page were taken in visits in August 2008 and April 2009. Rufous-wings form the genus Peucaea with three other equally elusive species, Bachman's, Botteri's, and Cassin's Sparrows, the latter two also southwestern birds, and the former found in the southeast.
