Black-chinned Sparrow
Black-chinned Sparrow has fallen sharply: down 61% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Black-chinned Sparrow
The Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis) is a North American member of the New World Sparrows (Passerellidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the arid-land birds.
- Size
- 4.5–7.5 in long (12–19 cm) — a small songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Deserts, dry scrub and brushland of the Southwest.
- Diet
- Seeds, insects and cactus fruit of arid-land plants.
- Range
- Recorded on 108 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 6 states, most concentrated in the Coastal California.
- Family
- Passerellidae · Arid-land birds
Notable Black-chinned Sparrow Trends
Black-chinned Sparrow has fallen sharply in surveyed states: down 61% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
Black-chinned Sparrow Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Black-chinned Sparrow is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.01 (95% range 0.00–0.12). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±59.3%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.13 |
| 2026 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.12 |
| 2027 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.12 |
| 2028 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.12 |
| 2029 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.12 |
Where the Black-chinned Sparrow Is Detected
BBS routes recording Black-chinned Sparrow, sized by most recent count.
Black-chinned Sparrow Population Trend by State
| Arizona | -79% | 1974 | 16 |
| California | -68% | 1970 | 59 |
| Nevada | -59% | 1998 | 4 |
| New Mexico | -3% | 1978 | 18 |
| Texas | -21% | 1995 | 5 |
| Utah | -82% | 1996 | 6 |
Black-chinned Sparrow Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | -4% | 1996 | 6 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -81% | 1973 | 15 |
| Coastal California | -78% | 1971 | 44 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | -63% | 1973 | 8 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | -64% | 1976 | 16 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -21% | 1978 | 11 |
Black-chinned Sparrow Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 61% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.