Buntings and New World Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps) - HBW 16, p. 600

French: Tohi à calotte fauve German: Rostscheitelammer Spanish: Chingolo Coronirrufo

Taxonomy: Ammodromus ruficeps Cassin, 1852, Calaveras River [east of Stockton], California, USA.
Genus closely related to Melozone and Pyrgisoma. Geographical variation rather poorly marked. For convenience, races sometimes divided into “Pacific-coast group” (nominate, canescens and obscura), “SW-desert group” (eremoeca and scottii), and “Mexican group” (remaining races); most races in last group are very poorly differentiated. Race eremoeca intergrades with scottii in W Texas and with pallidissima in N Mexico (Coahuila), and last two may be synonyms of eremoeca; likewise, boucardi intergrades with eremoeca in E Mexico; in W Mexico suttoni intergrades with (and may be better subsumed in) extima and may intergrade also with fusca, and latter intergrades in SW Guanajuato with simulans, from which rupicola is possibly inseparable. Taxonomic review required. Eighteen subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

ruficeps (Cassin, 1852) - C California (coast ranges and W slopes of Sierra Nevada), in SW USA.
canescens Todd, 1922 - SW California and extreme NW Mexico (NW Baja California E to base of Sierra San Pedro Mártir, S to c. 30°30' N).
obscura Dickey & van Rossem, 1923 - islands of Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Catalina, off SW California.

See all 18 subspecies

ruficeps (Cassin, 1852) - C California (coast ranges and W slopes of Sierra Nevada), in SW USA.
canescens Todd, 1922 - SW California and extreme NW Mexico (NW Baja California E to base of Sierra San Pedro Mártir, S to c. 30°30' N).
obscura Dickey & van Rossem, 1923 - islands of Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Catalina, off SW California.
sanctorum van Rossem, 1947 - Todos Santos Is, off NW Baja California (NW Mexico).
scottii (Sennett, 1888) - SW USA (N & E Arizona and SW New Mexico) S to N Mexico (NE Sonora and NW Coahuila).
rupicola van Rossem, 1946 - mountains of SW Arizona.
eremoeca (N. C. Brown, 1882) - S USA from SE Colorado, SW Kansas and W & C Oklahoma S through E New Mexico and W Texas to N Mexico (N Chihuahua and C Coahuila).
sororia Ridgway, 1898 - extreme S Baja California, in W Mexico.
simulans van Rossem, 1934 - NW Mexico from SE Sonora and SW Chihuahua S to N Nayarit, SW Zacatecas, N Jalisco and W Guanajuato.
phillipsi Hubbard & Crossin, 1974 - SE Sinaloa (Palmito area).
suttoni Hubbard, 1975 - E Nayarit and N & W Jalisco, possibly also in Colima.
fusca (Nelson, 1897) - S Nayarit, SW Jalisco, N Colima and Michoacán.
extima A. R. Phillips, 1966 - E Jalisco and N Michoacán.
pallidissima A. R. Phillips, 1966 - NE Mexico from S Coahuila S to N San Luis Potosí and E to SE Tamaulipas.
boucardi (P. L. Sclater, 1867) - E Mexico from C Coahuila, C Nuevo León and S Tamaulipas S through San Luís Potosí to Distrito Federal, Tlaxcala, N Puebla and CW Veracruz.
duponti Hubbard, 1975 - Valley of Mexico.
australis (Nelson, 1897) - S Mexico (Guerrero, S Puebla and Oaxaca).
laybournae Hubbard, 1975 - WC Veracruz S to SE Puebla and NC Oaxaca.