Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
Flight call description A short, soft, rising "ssip", usually with an abrupt ending.
Fig.1. Texas April 27, 1996 (MO).
Perched bird.
Similar species Most similar to the "double-banded up-seep" warblers but slightly longer, higher, and clearer, and usually with a distinctive upward rise at the end. See short rising seeps.
Behavior Primarily a nocturnal migrant but engages in redetermined migration. Gives flight call regularly while perched and in flight during the day and presumably during nocturnal migration.
Spectrographic description Measured calls (N=5) were 37.6-65.6 (48.4) mS in duration and in the 6.7-11.5 (7.6-10.3) kHz frequency range. The frequency track was single-banded, or with a light second band above, and typically showed a level portion followed by a steeply-rising portion with a slight downward bend at the end.