Black-Throated Sparrow

When in their full-plumage, these are very fine looking birds that wear their otherwise dull colors of brown, gray, black, and white very well. The Black-Throated Sparrows inhabit the arid deserts of the Western United States and Mexico, and tend to maintain their appearance even in harsh circumstances, which can't can't be said for other desert-dwelling birds. They're exceptionally handsome, and make it very hard ti pick a favorite emberizid.

This series is of a juvenile, who had not yet developed the black bib and sharply defined brown on his head and back, but such intermediate birds are common this time of year as their adult plumage begins to fill in.