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Rufous-collared Sparrow | Zonotrichia capensis
Roodkraaggors | Chingolo común
The Rufous-collared Sparrow is one of the most widespread songbirds of Central and South America, from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, with a large number of subspecies. In the Caribbean it lives in two widely separated places: in the highlands of Hispaniola, with its own subspecies, and on Aruba and Curaçao, with another. It is absent from Bonaire. In the Dominican Republic it is called cigüita de Constanza, on Curaçao and Aruba chonchorogai.
Voice
The song is short and clear: one or two whistled, slurred notes followed by a trill, roughly tee-teeoo, tirrrr, often from a roof, post or bush and throughout the year. Variation between areas is large. The call is a sharp chip.
Recording: Guillermo Menéndez (gmmv80) — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · converted to mono · xeno-canto
Identification
13.5–15 cm, with a small crest that is raised when excited. The crown is grey with two black lateral stripes; the grey head has a black stripe behind the eye and a black malar stripe. The throat is white. A rufous collar runs across the hindneck and sides of the neck and ends at a black patch on the side of the breast. The underparts are greyish-white, the flanks buffy-brown. The back is brown with black streaks; the wing shows two narrow pale wing-bars. The sexes are alike. Juveniles lack the rufous collar, have a fainter head pattern and are streaked on the breast and flanks.
Confusion species
White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys, a rare visitor from North America, has a black-and-white striped crown without a crest, no rufous collar and no black breast patch. House Sparrow Passer domesticus has a thicker bill; the male has a black bib instead of a white throat, the female a plain head without stripes. Streaky juvenile Rufous-collared Sparrows may recall Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis, but are longer-tailed and usually accompany adults.
Habitat
In Hispaniola mainly open country in the highlands: pine forest edges, montane meadows, scrub, fields, vegetable plots and villages, from a few hundred to over two thousand metres. On Aruba and Curaçao in gardens, yards, kunukus (smallholdings) and open thorn scrub in the lowlands. It feeds on the ground on seeds and insects, often near people. The cup nest is on or just above the ground, in a grass tussock or low bush.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation types of the Caribbean.
Range and movements
In Hispaniola resident in the highlands, mainly in the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic, where it is locally common. Also resident on Aruba and Curaçao; it is absent from Bonaire. It does not occur on the other islands. Outside the region from southern Mexico through Central America and over almost all of South America to Tierra del Fuego, mainly in uplands.
- Resident
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
In the Dominican Republic it is found around Constanza and in the highlands of the Cordillera Central, along roads, fields and village edges. On Curaçao and Aruba it lives in gardens and yards, often singing from a roof or wall.
Conservation status
Not threatened. The species benefits from open, man-made landscapes. Little is known about the trend of the Caribbean populations.
Scientific name
Zonotrichia capensis | (Müller, 1776)
Müller described the species in 1776 as Fringilla capensis; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Zonotrichia was introduced in 1832 by Swainson. Zonotrichia is Greek, from zōnē 'band' and thrix 'hair'. capensis refers to the Cape of Good Hope, an error: the bird described actually came from Cayenne in French Guiana. The specimen the first description was based on came from Cayenne, French Guiana (originally given in error as 'Cape of Good Hope').