clay-colored sparrow

American  

noun

1. a sparrow, Spizella pallida, of the interior of North America, having buff, brown, and white plumage with a pale-gray breast.

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Etymology

Origin of clay-colored sparrow

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

We were looking for a clay-colored sparrow, a rare visitor to the East Coast that had been spotted in this field at the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, N.Y., over the last week.

From New York Times

But while a few sweeps of the field turned up a variety of birds -- including seven other species of sparrows -- the clay-colored sparrow remained out of sight.

From New York Times

The clay-colored sparrow was not one of them, and  we were disappointed to think we wouldn't be able to add it to the total.

From New York Times

And of course, one of them was the clay-colored sparrow, recorded in two spots - one in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, and "my" bird at Marshlands.

From New York Times

One of my new acquaintances was a little bird which is known as the clay-colored sparrow.

From Project Gutenberg