Black-striped Sparrow (Arremonops conirostris )

23 January 2009, Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica This species was common around the lodge, but liked to hide in dense brush. It looks much like the Olive Sparrow (A. rufivirgatus) which ranges north to Southern Texas but the Black-striped Sparrow is darker gray with blacker head stripes and has a very different song. It was formerly lumped with the very similar Green-backed Sparrow (A. chloronotus) but they overlap in Honduras without hybridization. This photo was taken in the rain under miserable lighting conditions. The bird briefly came out in the open, attracted to rice placed around one of the birdbaths. Panasonic Lumix LZ5 / Nikon Fieldscope 3 / 30X WA / hand-held (no adapter)