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PHOTO OF CLOSELY RELATED SUBSPECIES 



1ERBERT CLARKE 



SAN CLEMENTE SAGE SPARROW 



Amphispiza belli clementeae Ridgway (1898) 



KINGDOM Animalia 



CLASS Aves 



ORDER Passeriformes 



FAMILY Fringillidae 



OTHER COMMON 



NAMES Bell Finch; Bell Sparrow; 



San Clemente Sparrow 



DATE 



Entered into system To be determined 



Updates To be determined 



LEGAL STATUS 



Federal: "Threatened." Fed. Reg. Vol. 42, No. 

 155, 11 August 1977, p. 40685. Pro- 

 tected by Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 



States : Protected by California state law. 



REASONS FOR CURRENT STATUS 



Stewart and Clow (1974) state that since 

 1934, sheep and goats, formerly fenced, have 



roamed the island uncontrolled, practically elim- 

 inating reproduction of native shrubs. Goats eat 

 seedlings and young plants and strip the leaves 

 and bark from the lower portions of trees and 

 bushes. No seedling or young bushes were found 

 at any place visited. Reduction of ground cover 

 has led to erosion of topsoil necessary for seedlings 

 to develop. Feral swine have furthered erosion by 

 rooting beneath what topsoil is left. The reduc- 

 tion in plant cover may have facilitated predation 

 on sage sparrows and their nests and eggs by the 

 island fox and feral house cats. It would also have 

 greatly reduced the dense bush habitat the sage 

 sparrows require for nesting and feeding. 



PRIORITY INDEX 



None assigned. 



DESCRIPTION 



A. b. clementeae is a small gray bird with 

 black streaks on sides and single black spot on 

 chest, dark cheeks and "moustache" streaks on 

 sides of throat, white line over eye, and white 

 corners on tail. 



This is a weakly differentiated race. Some of 

 the alleged characteristics are not present in series. 



