The rufous-collared sparrow or Andean sparrow Zonotrichia capensis

The rufous-collared sparrow or Andean sparrow Zonotrichia capensis, It's a very interesting bird, its common name of Sparrow Copetón as it is known in this Colombian Andean part of the world, it gets its name from its cute grey hair style with black stripes, this bird does not excede15 Cm in size, it has a straight beak and an elegant necklace of color Rufous that it highlights by its tonality in scales of gray in its body.

This beautiful bird sometimes looks like a small chicken, it appears in the garden on the ground scratching with its tiny feet and extracting bugs or worms, it bites the pieces of banana and cassava left by the hens on the ground.

I was trying to spread garlic in the garden just in front of the kitchen window, I had planted many cloves of garlic, all germinated healthy, but from one week to the next the garlic disappeared, I had no choice but to watch the garden by the window and observe carefully.

I was quite surprised when I could see a beautiful sparrow copetón with a large garlic in its small beak. I didn’t have a chance to photograph the act. This curious bird was the one responsible for our garlic crop not growing. Once he finished all the garlic he continued to steal the cilantro seeds.

Apparently he likes to have a well varied diet, because he also likes to eat guavas, small herb flowers and seeds of different grasses.

We keep watching him, he comes closer and he has more confidence every day. We are happy to know that this species lives on our farm, as it is part of the list of species in danger of extinction.

There are several reasons why the Zonotrichia capensis, is in danger of extinction: One of them is the agrarian extension, because some farmers cut and burn lots to expand monocultures, which results in habitat loss. Another reason is that this species is the victim of parasitism of interspecific breeding ⁽¹⁾ a reproductive breeding strategy.

This means that an individual of a species (the parasite) in this case is the Chamom Molothrus bonariensis, lays its eggs in the nest of the other species (the host) as it happens to our Zonotrichia capensis, who ends up in incubation, feeding and raising the chicks of the parasitic species.

We try to maintain several areas of the farm with different wild, native plants, so that our sparrow copetón has a safe place and can overcome the challenges that nature puts on it.

Now we plant some garlic in pots and let our Zonotrichia capensis be wherever it wants, it is part of our responsibility to increase the population of this beautiful species that accompanies us with its melodious song.

God bless you