Baird's Sparrow

“Passerculs bairdi. Baird’s Savanna Sparrow. Inner secondaries less elongated, rarely equaling the primaries in the closed wings. First 4 quills about equal and longest. Hind toe and claw about equaling the middle toe and claw, its claw about equaling the digit. Tail shorter than wing, lightly double-rounded (central and outer pair of feathers both little shorter than the intermediate ones). Top of head streaked with black and rich brownish-yellow. or buff, the former predominating laterally, the latter chiefly as a median stripe, but also suffusing the nape and sides of head in greater or less degree. Back varied with brownish-black and gray, together with a little bay, the two latter colors forming the edgings of the interscapulars. Rump variegated with gray and chestnut-brown, different in shade from that of the back. Under parts dull white, usually with a faint ochrey tinge on the breast, but often without; a circlet of small, sharp, sparse, dusky streaks across the breast, continuous with others, longer and mostly lighter, along the whole sides, and with others, again, extending up the sides of the neck into small vague maxillary and aurigular markings. When the feathers are perfectly arranged these lateral head-markings are seen to be post-ocular stripe just over the auricular spot, a streak starting from the angle of the mouth, and another heavier one parallel with and below this, running directly into the pectoral ones. Quills without special marking, excepting the elongated inner secondaries, which correspond with scapulars. Tail the same, slightly whitish-edge. Upper mandible mostly dark, lower pale. Feet flesh-colored.” Elliot Coues, 1884

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