Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis) [XC551164]
by Lance A. M. Benner from Bob's Gap Road, north of the gap, Los Angeles County, California, United States (song)
Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis) [XC125085]
by Brian Sullivan from Santa Ana River Valley, San Bernardino Mountains, United States (song)
Subspecies
Probably closely related to Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla), with which it shares many similarities in song and habitat, and Worthen's Sparrow (Spizella wortheni), to which very similar in general appearance. Mitochondrial DNA work on genus indicates that this species and Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) are sister-taxa (Worthen's Sparrow (Spizella wortheni) may be closer to Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri)). It is the only member of genus that exhibits sexual plumage dimorphism. Subspecies caurina often synonymized with cana.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
caurina Miller, AH, 1929 - Breeds in coast ranges of west-central California from Contra Costa County south to San Benito County, occasionally north to southern Oregon, in western USA. Non-breeding range poorly known (one record from Santa Cruz I, in California).
cana Coues, 1866 - Breeds in inner coastal mountains of central and south-western California (from Monterey County southern on western slopes of southern Sierra Nevada) and extreme north-western Mexico (northern Baja California). Non-breeding south-western California south to southern Baja California.
evura Coues, 1866 - Breeds in south-eastern California, southern Nevada, south-western Utah, central and south-eastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas and extreme northern Mexico (north-eastern Sonora). Non-breeding range poorly known.
atrogularis (Cabanis, 1851) - Central plateau of Mexico from Durango, southern Coahuila and western Nuevo León south to central Oaxaca.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet