#7-B-07

Idaho Bird Records Committee Rarities Report Form

Species: Clay-colored Sparrow

Reporter: Jay Carlisle

6105 Kirkwood Rd

Boise, ID 83709

jaycarlisle@boisestate.edu

Other Observers: Stephanie Eyes, Erin Kiely, Chad Merkley (all IBO field crew members)

Date Report Prepared: 1-22-07

Date Sighting Occurred: 8-14-06 (capture)

Locality of Observation: Camas NWR, Jefferson Co.

Habitat: riparian woodland and edge

Conditions: high pressure weather (mostly clear & calm) on the day and prior; some T-storms the next AM

Did you take notes? not at all

Did you consult a field guide or other reference work? during the observation

What guide(s) or reference(s) did you consult?

Pyle’s 1997 ‘The Identification Guide to North American Birds’, Sibley, National Geographic

Description: A small sparrow with a gray nape, some buffy coloration on an unstreaked chest, a whitish central crown stripe, pale lores, and distinct moustachial and supercilial stripes. Wing 60mm and tail 60mm.

Based on incomplete skull development, this bird was identified as an immature (hatch-year) bird.

Behavior: This was a bird captured as part of a standardized bird migration study at 1030 AM on 8-14-06. Later in the afternoon, I saw the bird in the same location where it had been captured – a wet area where many sparrows were coming to for water/bathing.

How and when did you positively identify the bird, and what clinched the identification for you? When I started extracting it from the net. There was a large flock of Spizella sparrows, including Chipping and Brewer’s, all captured in the same net and this provided immediate comparison. Clinching features included all features mentioned in the Description section – especially the gray nape and buffy on the chest.

How did you eliminate similar species, and what were they? Brewer’s and Chipping sparrows are the most closely-related and similar-appearing species. Chipping tends to have a longer wing than the other 2 species (for comparison with the 60mm wing on this Clay-colored, the shortest wing on a CHSP at Camas in fall 06 was 64mm and most were between 67-71mm) and also has a dark line through the eye that extends into the lores in all plumages. Brewer’s is a duller and less contrasty bird than Clay-colored and lacks the gray nape and the buffy on the chest.

Experience with this species (and similar species): I have observed many hundreds, if not thousands, of each during breeding season, migration and winter in both the US (especially Idaho and South Dakota) and Mexico. This was the first Clay-colored I’ve seen in Idaho.

General birding experience: extensive; 14+ years in US and Latin America

Were photo(s), video, and/or audio obtained by you? (If yes, please include or attach) Yes, but not by me. See 3 attached photos taken by Erin Kiely.