São Francisco Sparrow

The Sao Francisco sparrow is about 21 cm (8.3 in) long and weighs 21 to 25 g (0.74 to 0.88 oz). Females have not been formally described. Adult males have a black crown with a thin whitish or pale gray stripe through its middle, black lores, and a white supercilium that extends to the nape. The rest of their face is black. Their nape and the sides of their neck are pale gray. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are mostly greenish olive; some individuals are yellower on their lesser wing coverts. They have a thin black chin line just under their bill and a white throat. Their underparts are mostly white with an oval black spot on the side of the upper breast and light gray flanks. They have a brown to dark reddish brown iris, an orange-yellow bill with a blackish culmen, and pinkish gray to brownish gray legs and feet.

The Sao Francisco sparrow is found in east-central Brazil in southern Bahia and northern Minas Gerais states. Its range is centered on the São Francisco River valley. It primarily inhabits the caatinga, a biome characterized by dense deciduous shrubs. It is suspected to also occur in the somewhat taller vegetation between the caatinga and humid evergreen forest. In elevation it ranges between 600 and 1,400 m (2,000 and 4,600 ft).

The Sao Francisco sparrow's diet has not been studied; it is assumed to include insects, seeds, and fruits. It forages on the ground or near it in low vegetation.