Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific

by Charles K. Reed

WESTERN TREE SPARROW.

559a. Spizella monticola ochracea. 6 inches.

Somewhat resembling the “[Chippy Sparrow],” but is larger and has a dark spot on the breast as an identification mark. It breeds in the far north, above the northern borders of the United States, and in winter is common through Oregon, California, into Arizona and Texas.

Nest.—This is usually placed in low trees or bushes or on the ground made of grasses and lined with feathers. They lay three to five greenish white eggs, spotted with different shades of brown (.80 × .55).