The Birds of the Black Range
Arranged by English Common Name - “S"

Red-naped Sapsucker Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Hillsboro
New Mexico

Williamson’s Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus thyroides
Rabb Park Trail
Black Range
New Mexico

Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied
Sphyrapicus varius
Hillsboro
Black Range
New Mexico

On 10 March 2026, a female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius, showed up at a yard in Hillsboro, species number 179 on the yard list, and remained a regular visitor for a month or so. This individual often visited a bird bath where a bird cam has been installed. Images from the bird cam are shown above. The genus Sphyrapicus is composed of four species. Three of them, including the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker are members of a super-species. The other two species are the Red-breasted (S. ruber) and the Red-naped Sap-sucker (S. nuchalis). Where the ranges of these species overlap they hybridize freely and the hybrids are often fertile. The typical species of this area is the Red-naped Sapsucker. When a sighting of a Red-breasted or a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is reported in New Mexico flags are immediately raised and the observation is subject to a certain amount of scrutiny. Although the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker’s range is sometimes shown as extending up the Rio Grande to about Las Cruces. Several sources do not believe that the species’ per-manent range extends into New Mexico. Note however, that there are research grade observations of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker from Las Cruces (see Gordon Berman’s report from October 30, 2024, for instance).

The Williamson’s Sapsucker is not a member of the super species referenced above.

Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma woodhouseii
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Formerly considered a subspecies of what was then the Western Scrub-Jay.

Loggerhead Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus
Warm Springs Wash
Hillsboro
New Mexico

Pine Siskin
Spinus pinus
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Townsend's Solitare Myadestes townsendi
Tierra Blanca Road, Black Range

Black-chinned Sparrow
Spizella atrogularis
West of Kingston
New Mexico

Black-throated Sparrow
Amphispiza bilineata
East of Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Cassin’s Sparrow
Aimophila cassinii
East of Hillsboro
New Mexico

Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Hillsboro Area
New Mexico
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Clay Colored Sparrow
Spizella pallida
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Golden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapilla
Hillsboro
New Mexico

Harris’s Sparrow
Zonotrichia querula
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Harris’s Sparrow, Zonotrichia querula, was seen in Hillsboro in early December 2025 and continued to be seen daily until the end of March 2026. Although this species has been seen several times in the past decade in Hillsboro, this was the longest period it remained during any of the pervious years.

House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
Nutt Grasslands
and Hillsboro
New Mexico

Lincoln’s Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Aimophila ruficeps
Wicks Canyon
East of Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Vesper Sparrow
Pooecetes gramineus
South Wicks Canyon
East of Hillsboro
New Mexico

White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Subspecies shown with black lore is Z. l. oriantha.
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
South of Hillsboro
New Mexico
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Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Percha Creek Drainage
East of Hillsboro
New Mexico

White-throated Swift
Aeronautes saxatalis
Percha Box
East of Hillsboro
New Mexico