Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata) [XC551162]
by Richard E. Webster from Bob's Gap, Los Angeles County, California, United States (call)
Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata) [XC840288]
by Ken Hall from Sabino Canyon, United States (song)
Subspecies
Genus has sometimes been subsumed into Aimophila, but this treatment not supported by molecular-genetic findings, which indicate that the two are not closely allied; juvenile plumages also different. Recent molecular work suggests that present genus is in a clade that contains also Calamospiza, Chondestes and Spizella and also that present species is close to Five-striped Sparrow (Amphispiza quinquestriata).
Several other subspecies proposed: dapolia (described from Chisos Mts, Texas) included within opuntia; in south-western Gulf of California, carmenae (Carmen I) and sanctissima (Espíritu Santo I) both synonymized with bangsi; confinis (Chihuahua Municipality, central Chihuahua) treated as a synonym of grisea.
The following 10 subspecies are recognised:
deserticola Ridgway, 1898 - Breeds in western USA from central Washington, Oregon, north-eastern California, northern Nevada, southern Idaho, northern Utah, south-western Wyoming and western Colorado south through Great Basin to north-western Mexico (north-eastern and central Baja California south, including Cedros I, Natividad I and íngel de la Guarda I, to c. 27° north, east to north-western Chihuahua). Non-breeding in southern third of breeding range and southern into northern Sonora (Mexico).
opuntia Burleigh & Lowery, 1939 - Breeds in south-eastern Colorado and north-western Oklahoma south through eastern New Mexico and western Texas (USA) south to northern Mexico (north-western Coahuila). Non-breeding in southern parts of breeding range.
bilineata (Cassin, 1850) - Southern USA (north-central Texas) south to north-eastern Mexico (eastern Coahuila, Nuevo León and lower elevations of Tamaulipas).
bangsi Grinnell, 1927 - Southern Baja California (southern from c. 26° north), including nearby islands (except Tortuga I and Cerralvo I), in north-western Mexico.
tortugae van Rossem, 1930 - Tortuga I, in west-central Gulf of California (southern Baja California).
belvederei Banks, 1963 - Cerralvo I, in south-western Gulf of California (southern Baja California).
pacifica Nelson, 1900 - Central and southern Sonora (including Tiburón I and San Pedro Nolasco I, in eastern Gulf of California) and northern Sinaloa, in north-western Mexico.
cana van Rossem, 1930 - San Esteban I, in eastern Gulf of California.
grisea Nelson, 1898 - North-central Mexico from central Chihuahua, southern Coahuila, San Luis Potosí and south-western Tamaulipas south to northern Jalisco, Guanajuato, Querétaro and Hidalgo.
carmenae van Rossem, 1945 - Isla Carmen (Gulf of California).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet