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Home/Species/ Botteri's Sparrow

Peucaea botterii

(Sclater, 1858)

Botteri's Sparrow

G4Apparently Secure (G4G5) Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104934
Element CodeABPBX91060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyPasserellidae
GenusPeucaea
Synonyms
Aimophila botterii(Sclater, 1858)
Other Common Names
Bruant de Botteri (FR) Zacatonero de Botteri (ES)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly (e.g., AOU 1983, 1998) placed in the genus Aimophila, transferred to Peucaea by AOU (2010).

Populations in Tabasco, Yucatan, and Guatemala south to northeastern Nicaragua have sometimes been considered a distinct species, A. petenica (Peten sparrow), but there is extensive intergradation in Tabasco and Veracruz and similarity of vocalizations (AOU 1998).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-08-28
Change Date2023-08-28
Edition Date2023-08-28
Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2023)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Botteri's sparrow is a grassland specialist that occurs from the southwestern United States to northwestern Costa Rica. It is relatively common but is declining due to habitat loss and degradation from agriculture, overgrazing, drought, and long-term fire exclusion.
Range Extent Comments
The breeding range extends from southeastern Arizona in the United States to northwestern Costa Rica. This includes southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, eastern Sonora, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and extreme southern Texas, south through Mexico to Chiapas and Tabasco, and locally in state of Yucatán, Guatemala, Belize, eastern Honduras, northwestern and northeastern Nicaragua, and northwestern Costa Rica (van Els et al. 2011, Webb and Bock 2020). The core of the non-breeding range extends from northern Mexico through the remainder of the breeding range, however, small numbers can be found in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico during the non-breeding season (AOU 1983, Webb and Bock 2020). Range extent is estimated to be over 2,500,000 km².
Occurrences Comments
There are many occurrences rangewide.
Threat Impact Comments
The greatest threat to this species is habitat loss and degradation from agriculture, overgrazing, drought and long-term fire exclusion (Webb and Bock 2020). Climate change is expected to heavily impact this species' grassland habitat (Wilsey et al. 2019).
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

See Kaufman (1989) for information on identification.

Habitat

Grassland and short-grass plains with scattered bushes or shrubs, sagebrush, mesquite or yucca (AOU 1983). Open, barren, boulder-strewn grasslands (Stiles and Skutch 1989). In southeastern Arizona, avoided recently burned grassland habitats (Southwest. Nat. 37:73). BREEDING: Nests on ground or low in clump of grass (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Reproduction

Nests May-September in Texas and Mexico, May-August in southeastern Arizona (Maurer et al. 1989). Clutch size 2-5 (average 3.3 in southeastern Arizona).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceous
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4B
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaS4Yes
TexasS2BYes
New MexicoS1B,S1NYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureLarge - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
2.1 - Annual & perennial non-timber cropsLarge - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
3 - Energy production & miningSmall (1-10%)UnknownHigh (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarryingSmall (1-10%)UnknownHigh (continuing)
7 - Natural system modificationsLarge - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionLarge - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
7.1.2 - Suppression in fire frequency/intensityLarge - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownHigh - moderate
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)UnknownHigh - moderate

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Roadless Areas (3)
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
References (24)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). Chesser, R.T., R.C. Banks, F.K. Barker, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W. Kratter, I.J. Lovette, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, Jr., J.D. Rising, D.F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2010. Fifty-first supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 127(3):726-744.
  4. Balda, R. P., and G. C. Bateman. 1971. Flocking and annual cycle of the piñon jay, <i>Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus</i>. Condor 73:287-302.
  5. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  6. Carter, M., C. Hunter, D. Pashley, and D. Petit. 1998. The Watch List. Bird Conservation, Summer 1998:10.
  7. Conway, D. K., and K. L. P. Benson. 1990. A range extension for nesting Botteri's sparrow, AIMOPHILA BOTTERII, in southern Texas. Southwest. Nat. 35:348-349.
  8. Horn, H. S. 1968. The adaptive significance of colonial nesting in the Brewer's Blackbird. Ecology 49:682-694.
  9. Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  10. Kaufman, K. 1989. Cassin's and Botteri's sparrows. Birding 21:293-297.
  11. Ligon, J. D. 1971. Late summer-autumnal breeding of the piñon jay in New Mexico. Condor 73:147-153.
  12. Maurer, B. A., E. A. Webb, and R. K. Bowers. 1989. Nest characteristics and nestling development of Cassin's and Botteri's sparrows in southeastern Arizona. Condor 91:736-738.
  13. Moore, W. S., and R. A. Dolbeer. 1989. The use of banding recovery data to estimate dispersal rates and gene flow in avian species: case studies in the Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. Condor 91:242-253.
  14. Oberholser, H.C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. 2 vols. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.
  15. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  16. Phillips, A., J. Marshall, and G. Monson. 1964. The birds of Arizona. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
  17. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  18. Stiles, F. G. and A. F. Skutch. 1989. A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA. 511 pp.
  19. Tarvin, K. A., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1999. Blue Jay (<i>Cyanocitta cristata</i>). No. 469 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  20. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  21. Thompson, F. R., III. 1994. Temporal and spatial patterns of breeding brown-headed cowbirds in the midwestern United States. Auk 111:979-990.
  22. Williams, L. 1952b. Breeding behavior of the Brewer blackbird. Condor 54:3-47.
  23. Willson, M. F. 1966. Breeding ecology of the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Ecological Monographs 36:51-77.
  24. Zook, J. L. 2002. Distribution maps of the birds of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Unpublished.