Rufous-collared Sparrow: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Little Birds of the Americas · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. In Argentina, its song changes with the habitat: fast trills in open grassland, slow whistles in woodland and forest.
2. These local song styles last. Some persist long after farms have replaced the original plants, hinting they may be centuries old.
3. It feeds on the ground on seeds and insects, and has even been seen picking termites out of spider webs.
4. It has no salt gland, so its kidneys do all the work. When it eats a lot of salt, its kidneys and heart can grow up to 20% heavier.
5. On Hispaniola it lives only high in the mountains. It was probably stranded there when the climate warmed after the last ice age.

The quiz

1. In Argentina, what kind of song does it sing in open grassland?

• Slow whistles
• No song at all
• Fast trills (correct)
• Deep hoots

Trills are rapid in open grassland and slow in woodland.

2. What hints that some of its song dialects may be centuries old?

• They are written in old books
• They survive where farms replaced the native plants (correct)
• Only old birds sing them
• They match church bells

Habitat dialects persist long after the native vegetation is gone.

3. Where has it been seen picking termites from?

• Spider webs (correct)
• Tree bark
• Ant nests
• Flowers

It has been observed picking termites from spider webs.

4. Why does the rufous-collared sparrow tend to avoid salt marshes?

• The water is too cold
• There are too many hawks
• There are no seeds there
• It has no salt gland, so handling salt costs too much energy (correct)

Its kidneys handle salt alone, which costs too much energy over time.

5. Where does it live on the island of Hispaniola?

• On the beaches
• In the highest mountains (correct)
• In the mangroves
• In the lowland forest

It was left stranded in the highest mountains as the climate warmed.

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