Pinzón Conirrostro
Black-striped Sparrow
Arremonops conirostris
Song
Black-striped Sparrow
Appearance: The Black-striped Sparrow is a fairly large, ground-dwelling sparrow, about 16–17 cm long. It has an olive-brown back, pale underparts, and a distinctive gray head with bold black stripes on the crown and through the eyes. It also shows some yellow on the bend of the wing. Young birds are duller, with browner head stripes.
Habitat: It prefers humid lowlands and foothills, especially semi-open places rather than deep forest. Typical habitats include dense thickets, forest edges, young second growth, overgrown fields, shady plantations, gardens, and degraded former forest. It is usually found low in thick vegetation, often near the ground.
Behavior: This sparrow is usually shy and retiring. It spends much of its time on or near the ground, moving through dense cover in pairs rather than flocks. It feeds on insects, spiders, seeds, berries, and other small food items picked from the ground or low bushes.
Breeding: The female builds a large domed nest made of coarse plant material, with a wide side entrance. The nest is usually placed low in dense vegetation, often less than 1 meter above the ground. The clutch is usually two white eggs, sometimes three, and incubation lasts about 12–14 days.
Conservation Status: The Black-striped Sparrow is listed as Least Concern by BirdLife International/IUCN.
MALE
JUVENILE
Distribution
Pacific region: Northern Chocó and southwestern Cauca.
Caribbean Lowlands: from the Sinú River region eastward toward western La Guajira.
Caribbean Lowlands: from the Sinú River region eastward toward western La Guajira.
Magdalena Valley: south through the valley to Tolima.
It is a resident species, not a long-distance migrant, and is usually found in dense thickets, forest edges, second growth, overgrown fields, plantations, and gardens.
Taxonomy
The Black-striped Sparrow (Arremonops conirostris)
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves (Birds)
- Order: Passeriformes
- Family: Passerellidae
- Genus: Arremonops
- Species: conirostris
Vocalization
Song: The male gives a series of whistled and slurred notes, usually ending in a trill. It may be sung from the ground or a low perch inside thick vegetation. The exact song pattern can vary by region.
Call: Its call is often described as metallic, a sharp ringing note used for contact or alarm when the bird is moving through dense cover.
Short Song: Recordings also include short songs and songs with several variations, suggesting that individuals may repeat different phrases rather than one fixed pattern.
