Black-throated Sparrow in Borrego Springs

Black-throated Sparrows are one of my favorites, with their smartly-marked black, gray, and white heads. They are small, the size of a Chipping Sparrow or Savannah Sparrow, smaller even than a junco.

They are found in the American Southwest, in the hottest and driest deserts. There they choose the hottest south-facing gravel slopes. This one was already singing in February in the Mesquite Bosque of Borrego Springs. This is a flat dusty clay area, not a typical ground choice, but mesquite is a favorite habitat.

Black-throated Sparrow. Borrego Springs, California. February 18, 2019.

More photos of Black-throated Sparrow in San Diego from eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy). (Rating eBird photos: How and why.)