Brewer's Sparrow

At 5 inches, the Brewer's Sparrow is one of the smaller emberizids, and also one of the less colorful.
The Brewer's Sparrow has the nondescript browns and tans of of the sparrow group, but has more streaking on the head and back, as well as darker primary feathers that set it apart to the careful observer. They prefer rocky terrain, sagebrush, and desert shrubs, which is great, because not a lot of other animals do, and it's nice to still find new birds in the more dull scenery.

What they lack in visual pizazz they make up for with their song, a very complex string of oscillating high notes that is as unmistakable as it is pretty.

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.