Brewer's Sparrow
(Spizella breweri)

Overview

Summary

© Tony Battiste
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

Two subspecies of the Brewer's Sparrow breed in Canada, one in the sagebrush grasslands of southern British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the other in the subalpine shrublands of the Rocky Mountains, northern British Columbia and the southern Yukon. Neither is well monitored in Canada. At present, there is essentially no information regarding the timberline subspecies and insufficient information to assess population trends for the sagebrush subspecies in Canada. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe
• Breeding Bird Survey (BBS): Relative Abundance and Breeding Distribution (1993-2012)

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

The sagebrush subspecies of the Brewer's Sparrow has suffered considerable habitat loss and degradation throughout its range in North America, and most management concerns relate to habitat issues (Rotenberry et al. 1999). Most recommendations involve the preservation of sagebrush habitats from further loss and restoration of remaining habitat. Habitat loss has been attributed primarily to changes in agricultural and linear development (e.g., roads, trails, power-lines, pipelines) associated with industrial activity that fragments the landscape and introduce noise, predators and invasive, non-native plants that are detrimental to bird populations (Rotenberry 1998, Rotenberry et al. 1999, Ingelfinger and Anderson 2004). One of the main habitat restoration issues is the control of cheatgrass, an invasive annual species (Rotenberry et al. 1999). The timberline subspecies is not well known.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Ingelfinger, F. and S. Anderson. 2004. Passerine response to roads associated with natural gas extraction in a sagebrush steppe habitat. Western North American Naturalist 4:385-395.
• Rotenberry, J.T. 1998. Avian conservation research needs in western shrublands: exotic invaders and the alteration of ecosystem processes. pp. 261-272. In: Avian Conservation: Research and Management. Marzluff, J. M. and R. Sallabanks, Eds. Island Press, Covelo, California.
• Rotenberry, J.T., M.A. Patten and K.L. Preston. 1999. Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Rotenberry, J.T., M.A. Patten and K.L. Preston. 1999. Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)
• Sarell, M.J. and K.P. McGuinness. 1996. Status of the Brewer's Sparrow (breweri subspecies) in British Columbia. BC Ministry of Environment Wildlife Working Report WR-77. Sarell, M.J. and K.P. McGuinness. 1996. Status of the Brewer's Sparrow (breweri subspecies) in British Columbia. BC Ministry of Environment Wildlife Working Report WR-77. (Link)