Calcarius ornatus
December 30, 1997: San Rafael Grasslands, Santa Cruz County, AZ
Spent LOTS of time on these birds. We found several flocks of these sparrow-ish birds along the roadside. The white tail flashes were easy to see, but it took a while to distinguish these from the McCown’s, which are also supposed to be found in this area. Finally, after chasing dozens of these little flits around, I got a good enough look at one flying away to call it a Chestnut-collared. Definitely a dark triangle on the tail – not the T-shape of the McCown’s. Someday, I’d like to see these birds in breeding plumage – they were pretty much entirely drab!
Let me know what you think!