The Clay-colored Sparrow breeds in shrubby habitats, primarily in grassland ecosystems across the Prairie Provinces. Clearing of forested habitats for agriculture allowed this species to expand out of the prairies in the first half of the 1900s (Grant and Knapton 2012). It is well monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey, which shows a moderate decrease since about 1970. Canada is home to about 85% of the world's breeding population of the Clay-colored Sparrow, leading to a very high level of responsibility for the species. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Continued conversion of grass and shrub habitat to agriculture, intensification of agriculture, and prescribed burns has and continues to negatively affect Clay-colored Sparrows, but the species has also likely benefited from other actions of humans on the landscape (e.g., fire suppression on grasslands allowing proliferation of low shrub, and forest clearing; Grant and Knapton 2012). Planting of exotic species such as crested wheatgrass in native prairie reduces the frequency of species' occurrence (Davis and Duncan 1999). Significant change in grassland cover within the wintering grounds has also occurred (Panjabi et al. 2010) though the specific impact on Clay-colored Sparrow populations is unknown. The preservation of remaining grassland and low shrub habitat throughout the species' range is the main priority for conservation (Grant and Knapton 2012).
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:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
