“Those labeled "Clay-colored Sparrow" show a female (or possibly non-breeding male) Orange Bishop. These are native to Africa and are kept as cage birds. Enough of them have escaped (and have found suitable habitat) that they now have a local population, just like the Red-whiskered Bulbuls and the many species of parrots that are found here. Orange Bishops like reedy areas (for instance, right now there are many at the San Gabriel River between Whittier Blvd and Washington Blvd). They breed in the fall (which is spring in the southern hemisphere). A Clay-colored Sparrow would have a much longer tail, a much smaller (proportionally) bill, and a much more contrasting face pattern.”

It was a bird I never heard of. My prospective birding trips to Africa are still in the future. The location was perfect since the Peck Road Water Conservation Area is close to the San Gabriel River.

To show readers what the male looks like and why it is imported as a pet, I borrowed a photo from Wikipedia of a male Orange Bishop, also known as a Northern Red Bishop.