Artemisiospiza belli (Bell's Sparrow)
Credit: Robert Raffel
about the species
The Bell’s Sparrows occupy chaparral and arid scrub habitat, with a preference for chamise or coastal sage in the coast ranges, saltbush in the interior, and maritime desert scrub on San Clemente Island. It consists of four subspecies, three of which breed in California (the fourth subspecies occurs in Baja California). The most widespread subspecies A. b. belli resides in the coast ranges from northwestern to southern California, with a small isolated population in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Interiorly, A. b. canescens breeds in the southern San Joaquin Valley and Mojave Desert north through Owens Valley, where it contacts the Sagebrush Sparrow (A. nevadensis). This subspecies is a short-distance migrant, with post-breeding movements into the range of A. b. belli.
why species was selected
The federally threatened subspecies A. b. clementeae is endemic to San Clemente Island. Habitat loss is a concern for Bell’s Sparrow, especially in southern California.
