 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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-1.0 (-1.47 - -0.514)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Clay-colored Sparrows were found across the province in 2,084 atlas squares, taking fourth place for species reported from the most squares. Breeding was confirmed in 272 squares with nest building observed as early as 20 May. Ubiquitous anywhere a shrub is found from the Boreal Transition ecoregion southward, relative abundance was generally greatest in areas dominated by native cover. To the north, Clay-coloured Sparrows were less abundant, especially towards the northeast, and were found using natural forest edges as well as man-made clearings such roads and trails.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Certainly, no species is more typical of the broad expanses of low shrubs across the northern prairies than this sombre-plumaged yet charming sparrow (Knapton 1979a). Clay-colored Sparrows are relatively common from the Northwest Territories and central British Columbia across the prairies to southern Quebec and south to the northern tier of the US. Wintering occurs in a limited area from southern Texas to southern Mexico.
One of the most common and characteristic prairie species, the Clay-colored Sparrow is attracted to brushy patches in pastures and coulee bottoms in the aspen parkland and grassland, where it nests in snowberry , rose, wolf-willow , chokecherry , and saskatoon . In towns and around farmsteads, it frequents caragana hedges, shelterbelts, and small bushes planted in yards. The species tends to avoid cultivated fields except during migration (Roy 1996).
This sparrow is common and widespread across the grasslands, aspen parkland, and the lower Cypress Hills. It is also common in the agricultural clearings of the forest fringe, becoming uncommon and local in the boreal forest (Smith 1996) north to Lake Athabasca (Nero 1963a).
Original text by Richard Knapton. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Clay-colored Sparrow in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Clay-colored Sparrow in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=CCSP&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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