Clay-colored Sparrow    Spizella pallida

Conservation Status

General Status in Canada : Secure

COSEWIC Status : Not assessed

Passerine species associated with shrub communities have experienced population declines within the last 30 years as documented by the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), and the Clay-colored Sparrow is no exception. Elimination of shrub habitats for agriculture, overgrazing, and human development are thought to be the primary reasons for recent declines. Forest harvesting creates habitat for Clay-coloured Sparrows but that effect is ameliorated as forest regeneration progresses. In areas where pesticide spraying programs are in effect to control grasshoppers, local populations may be negatively impacted. Overall, the Clay-colored Sparrow is not considered to be of conservation concern because of its large population size, along with the quantity and quality of habitat remaining throughout its breeding range. However, research is needed to determine if range contraction is occurring; this appears to be a mechanism responsible for declines in other shrub-dependent passerines.

Reference(s)

Knapton, R. W. 1994. Clay-coloured Sparrow (Spizella pallida), The Birds of North America Online, . A. Poole, Ed. Ithaca: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology; Retrieved from The Birds of North America Online database: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/120