5.5 inches long. The Clay-colored Sparrow is a small sparrow with a pale conical bill with a dark tip and a gray nape. The back is tan with dark streaks. The wings are brown with pale wing bars. The unstreaked rump is brown. The tail is slim and forked. The underparts are pale. The head is distinctively marked with a rich brown crown with dark streaks and a pale central stripe. There is a white eyebrow and the cheeks are brown and bordered by black. There is a pale moustache with a dark whisker. Non-breeding birds are duller and buffier and become somewhat difficult to separate from a non-breeding Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina).
The Clay-colored Sparrow is an uncommon migrant through the area. It may best be seen from mid April through mid May and again in early September and mid October.
The Clay-colored Sparrow breeds in the low shrubs of the interior northern grasslands. In migration they may be found with mixed flocks, particularly Chipping Sparrows and Field Sparrows. It has expanded east and north due to suitable habitat created by logging and agricultural activities. The song is raspy buzzing “bzzz, bzzzz, zeee, zeee” on one pitch.
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