Brewer’s Sparrow – Oregon Conservation Strategy

Photo Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Overview

Species Common Name Brewer's Sparrow
Species Scientific Name Spizella breweri breweri
State Listing Status Sensitive

Ecoregions

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

Special needs

Brewer's Sparrows use sagebrush shrubland, generally with a canopy height <5 feet. They are often associated with big sagebrush. Brewer's Sparrows nest in thick crowns or low in brush, or in clumps of grass.

Limiting factors

Reduction and fragmentation of suitable nesting habitat are key limiting factors. Cheatgrass invasion also impacts habitat suitability.

Data gaps

Conduct taxonomic research. Assess distribution of the subspecies in Oregon.

Conservation actions

Maintain suitable shrublands for breeding. Maintain connectivity among habitat patches.

Key reference or plan

Conservation Strategy for Landbirds in the Columbia Plateau of Eastern Oregon and Washington