Cabanis's ground sparrow
Cabanis's ground sparrow or Costa Rican ground sparrow (Melozone cabanisi), is an American sparrow. It previously was considered a subspecies of the Prevost's ground sparrow.
| Cabanis's ground sparrow | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Passerellidae |
| Genus: | Melozone |
| Species: | M. cabanisi |
| Binomial name | |
| Melozone cabanisi (PL Sclater & Salvin, 1868) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Melozone biarcuata cabanisi | |
Cabanis's ground sparrow is endemic to central Costa Rica.
Description
It is on average 15cm long and weighs 28g. The adult has a stubby dark-grey bill, unstreaked olive-brown upperparts, a rufous crown and mainly white underparts. Young birds are browner above, have yellower underparts, and a duller indistinct head pattern. The rufous of the crown extends to behind the eye and is bordered on its anterior edge with black. This black border is broken by a white eye ring. The forehead is white, bordered below with a thin black line, there is a black malar stripe, and a black central breast patch.
References
- BirdLife International. 2016. Melozone cabanisi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T103776650A104278404. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103776650A104278404.en. Downloaded on 06 February 2018.
- Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica, ISBN 0-8014-9600-4