Meadow & Feather

Birds › Desert scrub › Black-throated Sparrow

Black-throated Sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

It can get by on the water in its seeds and insects and live far from any spring.

Where to see it for real: Millet on the ground and a shallow water dish.

Spot it in the game

Lives in the Desert scrub habitat (Sonoran Desert, Arizona and Mexico).

Black-throated Sparrow, Amphispiza bilineata
Photo: David Rankin, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Cut out from the original photo.

Black-throated Sparrow facts

Family
New World sparrows
Length
5.1 in (13 cm)
Wingspan
7.9 in (20 cm)
Weight
0.5 oz (13 g)
Diet
Seeds and insects.
Range
Deserts and dry scrub of the western United States and Mexico.
Nest
A cup in a low shrub or cactus.
Song
A bright, tinkling song of a few notes and a trill.
Active
at dawn and by day
Status
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.

What the Black-throated Sparrow sounds like

Recording 1: Steve Taylor, CC BY 4.0, original on iNaturalist. Trimmed and cleaned of low background noise.
Recording 2: no rights reserved, CC0, original on iNaturalist. Trimmed and cleaned of low background noise.

How to attract the Black-throated Sparrow

Feeder foods, favorite first: millet. Feeders that hold them: tube feeder and platform feeder. Keep a bird bath full, too.

In the game: fill a feeder with millet and keep the bird bath full. It is a common visitor.

More: bird songs and calls, what to feed birds.

More birds of the desert scrub

Greater RoadrunnerGreater RoadrunnerDesert scrubCactus WrenCactus WrenDesert scrubGambel's QuailGambel's QuailDesert scrubGila WoodpeckerGila WoodpeckerDesert scrubCurve-billed ThrasherCurve-billed ThrasherDesert scrubVerdinVerdinDesert scrub

Spot the Black-throated Sparrow yourself

Free in your browser. Put out the right food in the desert scrub and wait.

Play free