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Species
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MTY status & distribution
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Documentation:
if photo, usually a thumbnail;
if specimen or details,
so indicated
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Credits or comments
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Hepatic Tanager
Piranga flava
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Exceptional winter vagrant; one record in southern MTY (Jan 1966)
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description only
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no photo in MTY
but
short written
details from 1966
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Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
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Rare vagrant with records now spanning the seasons, with a slight
peak in late fall and winter. Most are at flowering ornamentals or eucalyptus
(winter), or at coastal vagrant traps (fall & spring migrations)
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photo © Scott MacDonald,
Salinas Californian
Jan 2003 Laguna Grande
park, Seaside
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Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
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Very rare late fall vagrant; three records (Oct-Nov)
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photo © Don Roberson
2 Nov 2003 Big Sur R. mouth
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Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
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Breeds widely in mountains: fairly common summer resident in pine
forests of higher elevations; widespread migrant throughout; rare in winter
at ornamental plantings or in flowering eucalyptus
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photo © Don Roberson
16 May 1995 Pacific Grove
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Green-tailed Towhee
Pipilo chlorurus
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Rare vagrant, mostly in fall but a few in spring; a handful have
wintered in coastal scrub or suburban gardens
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photo © Don Roberson
3 Feb 2003 Pacific Grove
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Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
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Breeds widely: common resident of chaparral, brushy undergrowth,
and suburban gardens; fall migrants and winter visitors swell local numbers
(Oct-Mar)
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photo © Don Roberson
30 Sep 2003 Chews Ridge
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California Towhee
Pipilo crissalis
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Breeds widely: common resident of chaparral, brushy undergrowth,
and suburban gardens
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photo © Don Roberson
6 June 1999 Pacific Grove
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Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Aimophila ruficeps
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Breeds widely but patchily: locally fairly common resident of grassy
hillsides with rocky outcroppings. Most of this habitat is well outside
"usual" birding routes and much of it is not easily accessible
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photo © Robert F. Tintle
18 June 1992 Bixby Canyon
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American Tree Sparrow
Spizella arborea
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Very rare fall vagrant, all records through 2003 have been in fall
(Sep-Nov) along the coast
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photo © Robert F. Tintle
20 Sep 1990 Carmel R. mouth
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Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
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Breeds widely but patchily: locally common summer resident of open
woodlands (interior oak or montane oak-pine); rare in winter. Regular in
small numbers along the coast in fall migration
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photo © Don Roberson
8 Sep 1996 Big Sur R. mouth
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Clay-colored Sparrow
Spizella pallida
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Rare but regular fall vagrant, mostly along the coast; very rare
in winter
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photo © Don Roberson
13 Nov 1982 Pebble Beach
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Brewer's Sparrows
Spizella breweri
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Very rare vagrant, mostly in fall (exceptional in spring)
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photo © Mike Tyner
13 Sep 2004 Dolan Pt.
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Black-chinned Sparrow
Spizella atrogularis
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Breeds locally and erratically: rare and local summer resident
in Santa Lucia Mountains, generally in recently burned areas, but sometimes
in chaparral habitats elsewhere (e.g., Garrapata SP or Pinnacles NM). Very
rare migrant along the outer coast
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photo © Don Roberson
3 June 1984 Chews Ridge
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Vesper Sparrow
Pooecetes gramineus
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Uncommon winter visitor to extensive grasslands in southeastern
MTY (Peachtree and Cholame valleys); rare vagrant to the coast (most in
late fall)
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photo © Don Roberson
26 Jan 1982 Peachtree Valley
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Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
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Breeds widely: fairly common resident of open oak woodlands. Large
numbers sometimes concentrate in interior grasslands in winter. Rather
rare as a fall or spring vagrant along the coast
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photo © Don Roberson
18 Jan 2004 Turkey Flat
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Black-throated Sparrow
Amphispiza bilineata
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Rare fall vagrant; exceptional in spring. Most records are of coastal
vagrants in juvenal or imm. plumage in September, and some have been initially
misidentified as "Sage Sparrows"
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photo © John Sorensen
15 Sep 1996 Big Sur R. mouth
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Sage Sparrow
Amphispiza belli
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Breeds widely: common resident of chamise chaparral in rolling
foothills of the interior; rather scarce in coastal maritime chaparral.
Although common and widespread, most of the habitat is far from the "usual"
birding routes and much is inaccessible. Our local subspecies belli
[Bell's Sparrow] could someday be split from paler interior populations.
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photo © Don Roberson
12 Jun 1990 San Lucas-
Lockwood Road
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Lark Bunting
Calamospiza melanocorys
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Rare fall vagrant, very rare in winter or spring. Most are coastal
vagrants in Sep-Oct, most often in grassy margins to open wetlands
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photo © Don Roberson
12 Sep 1997 Salinas wtp
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Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
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Breeds locally: uncommon resident of tidal marshes and adjacent
grasslands. Common and widespread migrant and winter visitor throughout,
preferring grasslands or marshy edges
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photo © Don Roberson
22 Dec 2000 Moss Landing
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Grasshopper Sparrow
Ammodramus savannarum
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Breeds widely in local colonies: fairly common in shortgrass fields
and grasslands in both the interior and along the coastal bluffs; rare
in winter but apparently regular
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photo © John Sorensen
Apr 1993 east of King City
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Le Conte's Sparrow
Ammodramus leconteii
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Exceptional fall vagrant; one record (Oct 1974)
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photo © Ronald L. Branson
19 Oct 1974 Crespi Pond
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Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Ammodramus nelsoni
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Very rare fall or winter vagrant in coastal marshes; secretive
and retiring, some recent individuals found during high tides at Elkhorn
Slough
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photo © Don Roberson
13 Jan 2002 Elkhorn Slough
near Moonglow Dairy
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Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
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Common winter visitor (Oct-Apr) in chaparral and undergrowth throughout;
very rare in summer. Chocolate-brown "Sooty Fox Sparrow" is the common
wintering bird but birds of both "Slate-colored" and "Thick-billed" groups
occur sparsely as migrants. Northern "Red Fox Sparrow" is a rare vagrant
in late fall & winter
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photo © Don Roberson
2 Dec 1995 Big Sur R. mouth
a "Sooty" type, prob. of subspecies annectens
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Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
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Breeds widely: common resident of coastal scrub, riparian thickets,
and brushy margins to wetlands. Additional birds of other subspecies winter
or occur as migrants
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photo © Robert F. Tintle
Nov 1996 Carmel R. mouth
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Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
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Uncommon winter visitor but fairly common fall & spring migrant
throughout; very rare in summer. Shy and retiring in brush, wet grass,
and riparian thickets
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photo © Don Roberson
11 Jan 2004 Pacific Grove
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Swamp Sparrow
Melospiza georgiana
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Rare but regular fall migrant & winter visitor, very rare in
spring. Most are found in coastal riparian or marshy habitats
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photo © Robert F. Tintle
29 Oct 1988 Carmel R. mouth
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White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
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Rare fall migrant and winter visitor throughout (most are Oct-Mar),
occurring in riparian corridors, brushy undergrowth, and suburban gardens,
usually with flocks of other Zonotrichia. Often at feeders; 5-10
reported each year but numbers likely much higher
See species
page for more photos and details
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photo © Don Roberson
25 Jan 2004 Elkhorn Slough
Estuarine Research Reserve
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Harris's Sparrow
Zonotrichia querula
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Very rare winter visitor (Nov-Apr), always in flocks of other Zonotrichia.
Vast majority of records are from feeders
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photo © John Sorensen
Feb 2000 near Elkhorn
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White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
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Breeds locally; local yellow-billed subspecies nuttalli
is a resident of coastal scrub and sand dunes; yellow-billed pugetensis
and pink-billed
gambelii winter commonly throughout, usually in
more open areas than next species (but much overlap). Winter birds present
from mid-September into April
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photo © Robert F. Tintle
117 June 1989 Plaskett Creek
singing nuttalli
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Golden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapilla
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Common winter visitor throughout, prefers thickets and undergrowth,
and common in residential gardens
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photo © Don Roberson
24 Dec 2003 Pacific Grove
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Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
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Breeds widely; local race pinosus resident in coniferous
forests. Other "Oregon Junco" subspecies winter throughout; eastern "Slate-colored"
is scarce but annual in late fall & winter; interior "Gray-headed"
is very rare fall & winter vagrant
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photo © Robert F. Tintle
July 1988 Pebble Beach
local pinosus subspecies
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McCown's Longspur
Calcarius mccownii
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Very rare late autumn vagrant; two records east of Gonzales, possibly
same bird returning in consecutive years
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no photo in MTY
but
several descriptions and sketches,
including this from 4 Dec 2000 near Gonzales by D. Roberson
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Lapland Longspur
Calcarius lapponicus
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Rare but fairly regular fall vagrant, rarer in winter, very rare
in spring; often with flocks of Horned Lark
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photo © Don Roberson
12 Feb 2005
east of Gonzales
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Smith's Longspur
Calcarius pictus
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Exceptional vagrant; one record (Sep 1990)
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photo © Don Roberson
14 Sep 1990 Moonglow Dairy,
Moss Landing
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Chestnut-collared Longspur
Calcarius ornatus
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Rare fall vagrant but recently found almost annually in lark flocks
during late fall in Salinas Valley east of Gonzales; has wintered there
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photo © Don Roberson
12 Feb 2005
east of Gonzales
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Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalis
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Very rare late autumn vagrant; two records (Oct-Nov)
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photo © Don Roberson
27 Oct 1985 Pt. Lobos
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