sage sparrow

American  

noun

1. a small gray finch, Amphispiza belli, of dry, brushy areas of western North America.

---

Etymology

Origin of sage sparrow

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

If you’re quiet, you’ll hear the wind roll across the valley, or maybe the bell-like clink of a sage sparrow in a nearby bush.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2024

And the birds — the wrentit, the scrub jay, the sage sparrow — taking flight to . . . where exactly?

From Washington Post • Nov. 16, 2018