Prevost's ground sparrow, also known as the white-faced ground sparrow, is an American sparrow.
Region
Southern Mexico and Central America
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Mexico through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua into adjacent parts of Costa Rica. It favors dense understory in second-growth, forest edges, brushy ravines, and shaded agroforestry like coffee plantations. Birds keep close to the ground and use tangles and hedgerows for cover. The species is largely sedentary within territories year-round. Local presence depends on availability of low, dense shrub layers and leaf-litter for foraging.
Altitude Range
300–2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Prevost's ground sparrow, often called the white-faced ground sparrow, is a skulking towhee-like sparrow of thickets and coffee plantations. Its scientific epithet biarcuata refers to the two bold black arcs framing the bright white face. It was formerly placed in the genus Aimophila and has had taxonomic reshuffling with closely related ground-sparrows in Costa Rica and Panama. It typically keeps low to the ground, scratching through leaf litter for food.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low to the ground
Social Behavior
Usually in pairs or small family groups, maintaining territories in dense brush. Nests are placed low in shrubs or in thick ground cover, with both parents involved in care. Courtship includes quiet contact calls and short chases through understory.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a clear series of thin whistles and tinkling notes delivered from a low perch within cover. Calls include sharp tsip or tik notes, often given while foraging and when flushed.
