The Clay-colored Sparrow is a pale, sandy sparrow of the northern Great Plains with an unusual mechanical song — an insect-like series of flat buzzes given from the top of a bush. The pale face with a dark malar stripe and contrasting brown cheek patch bordered by white are distinctive. It is very common in the shrub-grasslands of the northern Plains and winters in Mexico.
Best time to see a Clay-colored Sparrow
The best time to see a Clay-colored Sparrow is March–June, when about 60% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 7,143 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
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