Cassin’s Sparrow is a subtly plumaged but distinctive sparrow found in Arizona’s open grasslands. Though plain grayish-brown in appearance, it is best known for its extraordinary skylarking display: males rise high into the air on fluttering wings and deliver a thin, sweet song before plummeting back to earth. In Arizona, Cassin’s Sparrows occur primarily in the southeastern portion of the state, favoring desert grasslands, plains with scattered mesquite, and rolling prairies in Cochise, Santa Cruz, and Pima counties. Their numbers can vary greatly from year to year, often increasing dramatically following summers with good monsoon rainfall that stimulate insect populations and seed growth. This species nests on or near the ground, weaving a grass cup hidden in low vegetation.
