Adult. Photo: David Larson/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Peucaea botterii
| Conservation status | Probably has declined in both Arizona and Texas with loss of habitat, but still common in some localities. |
|---|---|
| Family | New World Sparrows |
| Habitat | Desert grassland, coastal prairie. In our area, found mostly in drier grassland areas with relatively tall grass and scattered taller shrubs; mainly desert grassland in Arizona, coastal prairie in Texas. Avoids true desert and heavily grazed areas. Farther south in Mexico and Central America, also found on dry scrub areas, overgrazed pastures, and open savanna. |
Forages almost entirely while hopping or running on the ground, picking up items from the ground or from plants. Usually forages alone, sometimes in pairs or family groups.
2-5, probably usually 4. White to pale bluish white, unmarked. Details of incubation are not well known. Young: Probably both parents help feed the nestlings.
Probably both parents help feed the nestlings.
Mostly insects and seeds. Diet is not known in detail. In summer feeds mainly on insects, especially grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, and beetles, plus many others. Also eats many seeds, probably more so in winter.
Nesting activity is mostly in early summer in Texas, mostly in late summer (after onset of summer rainy season) in Arizona. Male sings from a raised perch to defend nesting territory. Details of nesting behavior are not well known. Nest: Nest is usually on the ground, often in a slight depression in soil and hidden under grass and weeds; sometimes slightly elevated in base of grass clump, and occasionally a few inches up in the base of a bush. Nest is a shallow open cup made of grass.
Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect this bird’s range in the future.
Zoom in to see how this species’s current range will shift, expand, and contract under increased global temperatures.
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.
In Arizona, the songbirds wait for late summer storms to begin courtship. Listen to their chorus here.
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