Timberline Sparrow ??

[Robert Righter]

Hi

Just reading Peterson Reference Guide to Sparrows of North America (2019) by Rick Wright, apparently on page 321, Timberline Sparrow (Spizella Taverneri), previously a subspecies of the Brewer’s Sparrow has been elevated to a species. A brief search of the internet didn’t produce any information to this effect so I’m not sure how this subspecies gained species status.

Here is what is stated in reference to Colorado; Still mysterious is the summer occurrence of Timberline-like sparrows in suitable breeding habitat at high elevations in the Colorado Rockies; it is not certain whether these birds are in fact Timberline Sparrows—or the altitudinal range of the Brewer Sparrow…

If this information is true the Timberline Sparrow would automatically ascend to first place as being the most difficult species to identify in Colorado if not for North America.

Anyone have any more information about the Timberline Sparrow status?

Bob Righter

Denver CO

[Charles Hundertmark]

Birds of North America Online does not list Timberline Sparrow as a separate species. Wikipedia, that font of all truth and knowledge, indicates it is a subspecies of Brewer’s Sparrow though some would elevate it to species level. Perhaps most relevant to those of us in North America, the North American Checklist Committee has not elevated it to species level as of its latest Checklist of North and Middle American Birds accessible at http://checklist.aou.org/

Chuck Hundertmark

Lafayette, CO

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[Megan Miller]

Here is a blog post about them from 2014 which includes songs. 

http://earbirding.com/blog/archives/4764

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[Ira Sanders]

My understanding is that there was a dna study done and the Timberline did not meet the criteria to be a separate species.

Ira Sanders

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Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

"My mind is a raging torrent flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."

[Steingraeber,David]

Rick Wright's taxonomic treatment is, by his own admission, eclectic and non-standard. In the "Taxonomy and Classification" section (p. 3) of his Introduction, he states, "In answering the vexed question of which "kinds" of sparrows should be given separate treatment here, we have taken a decidedly eclectic approach. Not all of the taxa considered here are accorded species status in the Check-list published (and regularly updated) by the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU), now the American Ornithological Society (AOS), but all are of sufficient historical note, and most are sufficiently distinctive in appearance, to be of interest to birders in the field. "

I, for one, appreciate his detailed and studied analysis.  The book is wonderfully rich in its historical and descriptive detail.

David Steingraeber
Ft. Collins

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From: cob...@googlegroups.com <cob...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Robert Righter <rori...@earthlink.net>
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2019 4:42:59 PM
To: cobirds
Subject: [cobirds] Timberline Sparrow ??

 

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[Joe Roller]

There is an eBird checklist box for:

Brewer's Sparrow (Timberline) (Spizella breweri taverneri) 

and records of that subspecies from nearby Utah and New Mexico, although it is much more prevalent 

farther north, eg, Canada.

Nice eBird map of sightings is:

https://ebird.org/map/timspa3?neg=true&env.minX=&env.minY=&env.maxX=&env.maxY=&zh=false&gp=false&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2019

Even though it is not a full species, birders have been documenting this cool (especially at timberline) subspecies.

Where will it first be documented in the Centennial State?

Joe Roller, Denver

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