Laura Erickson’s For the Birds

The Rufous-winged Sparrow is uncommon within its small range in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona and northern Mexico. Non-migratory, pairs stay together year-round. Pairs time nesting attempts with the onset of the summer rains—indeed, they may depend more on rainfall as a stimulus for nesting than any other North American bird, often building a nest and laying the first egg within five or six days after the first rain.

Rufous-winged Sparrows are declining; they’ve even been eliminated in some areas due to habitat loss from grazing and development. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 200,000, with 14 percent living in the U.S., and 86 percent in Mexico.