Clay-Colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)
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For all these seeming drawbacks, however, there is nothing hand-me-down about this bird. Perched atop a bush on a summer morning, this little sparrow has an unmistakable gentrified air. Its soft grey and crisp brown feathers are subtly woven like a fine English tweed, well cut and expertly fitted. The younger birds wear a warm, buff-brown sweater with a grey collar before growing into the tweedy look, and both parents tend to their welfare in the meantime. The male sometimes feeds his mate while she nests, and the female is an adept impersonator, luring predators away from her hatchlings by feigning an injury that promises an easy meal - but hardly ever delivers it.
Cornell Lab: Clay-Colored Sparrow Reader's Digest: Book of North American Birds
Cornell Lab: Clay-Colored Sparrow Reader's Digest: Book of North American Birds
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