Sao Francisco Sparrow Arremon franciscanus

The Sao Francisco Sparrow is an endemic of Brazil which was described to science only in 1997! It is found in central Bahia and northern Minas Gerais states, where its distribution is patchy and it’s abundance ranges from uncommon to locally fairly common. Its habitat is scrub Caatinga habitat, as well as slightly more arboreal Caatinga habitats. This sparrow is a handsome species, having a black face, bright white supercilium and black crown with a white central stripe. The upperparts are lime green, the underparts grayish, with a short black spur on the side of the breast. The bill color is bright orange-yellow with a dark culmen. It is similar to the Half-collared Sparrow (Arremon semitorquatus) but that species has more dark on the breast side, restricted yellow on the bill, and darker gray on the underparts. The song of the Sao Francisco Sparrow is a sweet and complicated series of high pitched sounds, ending with a trill.