Noteworthy Wintering Records and Habitat of LeConte's Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) in Grasslands of Coahuila, Northern Mexico

Abstract

There is limited knowledge on the winter distribution of LeConte's Sparrow, especially in northern Mexico where it is considered scarce and rare. We captured and banded two individuals of LeConte's Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) during consecutive winters (2016-2017, 2017-2018; one in each season) in an intermountain grassland of northern Coahuila, Mexico. These records were ca. 300 km outside the known wintering range of this species. Vegetation was variable at both sites. The first wintering site consisted of low grass cover (18.7%) dominated by Eragrostis and Bouteloua; the second site consisted of 72.6% grass cover, mainly composed of Bouteloua and Botriochloa.