Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps) [XC253554]
by Thomas G. Graves from Florida Canyon, Pima, Arizona, United States (song)
Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps) [XC354051]
by from Rubio Canyon, Altadena, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County, California, United States (song)
Subspecies
Genus closely related to Melozone and Pyrgisoma. Geographical variation rather poorly marked. For convenience, subspecies sometimes divided into "Pacific-coast group" (nominate, canescens and obscura), "SW-desert group" (eremoeca and scottii), and "Mexican group" (remaining races). Most subspecies in last group are very poorly differentiated. Subspecies eremoeca intergrades with scottii in western Texas and with pallidissima in northern Mexico (Coahuila), and last two may be synonyms of eremoeca. Likewise, boucardi intergrades with eremoeca in eastern Mexico. In western Mexico suttoni intergrades with (and may be better subsumed in) extima and may intergrade also with fusca, and latter intergrades in south-western Guanajuato with simulans, from which rupicola is possibly inseparable. A taxonomic review required.
The following 18 subspecies are recognised:
ruficeps (Cassin, 1852) - Central California (coast ranges and western slopes of Sierra Nevada), in south-western USA.
canescens Todd, 1922 - South-western California and extreme north-western Mexico (north-western Baja California east to base of Sierra San Pedro Mártir, south to c. 30º30' north).
obscura Dickey & van Rossem, 1923 - Islands of Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Catalina, off south-western California.
sanctorum van Rossem, 1947 - Todos Santos Is, off north-western Baja California (north-western Mexico).
scottii (Sennett, 1888) - South-western USA (northern and eastern Arizona and south-western New Mexico) south to northern Mexico (north-eastern Sonora and north-western Coahuila).
rupicola van Rossem, 1946 - Mountains of south-western Arizona.
eremoeca (Brown, NC, 1882) - Southern USA from south-eastern Colorado, south-western Kansas and western and central Oklahoma south through eastern New Mexico and western Texas to northern Mexico (northern Chihuahua and central Coahuila).
sororia Ridgway, 1898 - Extreme southern Baja California, in western Mexico.
simulans van Rossem, 1934 - North-western Mexico from south-eastern Sonora and south-western Chihuahua south to northern Nayarit, south-western Zacatecas, northern Jalisco and western Guanajuato.
extima Phillips, AR, 1966 - Eastern Jalisco and northern Michoacán.
pallidissima Phillips, AR, 1966 - North-eastern Mexico from southern Coahuila south to northern San Luis Potosí and east to south-eastern Tamaulipas.
boucardi (Sclater, PL, 1867) - Eastern Mexico from central Coahuila, central Nuevo León and southern Tamaulipas south through San Luís Potosí to Distrito Federal, Tlaxcala, northern Puebla and central-western Veracruz.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet