Botteri's Sparrow

My guide, Jake Thompson, knew right where to find this bird. We were looking for Botteri's sparrow. We were in Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains of southeastern Arizona and drove out of the canyon a ways and turned on to the dirt road to Box Canyon in what Jake referred to as Florida Wash. Jake walked over into some bushes at the edge of a large grass field and a minute or two later called me over. It is a common bird in its range, but it is a rarity in the U.S. because its range is so restricted. It is found in a small section of southeastern Arizona and a small section of southern Texas. Otherwise, it is predominantly a bird of Mexico. It was not found in Arizona from the 1890s to the mid-20th century because of excessive livestock grazing which ruined the grasses it liked to live in. Since efforts have been made to restore the grasslands, even though it is not the native preferred grass, it has returned due to introduced non-native grasses, although at lower population densities. 

Range from Birds of the World.

In Arizona it breeds in small, isolated colonies in semidesert grassland. It is abundant in pockets of healthy un-grazed or lightly grazed grasslands, fragmented by agricultural pressures. 

Jake had me come over by him, he had me line up facing a small tree, then pointed straight ahead into the center of the tree, and there it stood, very cooperative for my photos. If only some of the other birds would be so cooperative. 

Illustration from Birds of the World.