This is BirdNote.

Every spring, one of the most musical and complex bird songs on the continent,

rings forth from the sagebrush of the Columbia Basin in Washington State. The Brewer Sparrow, a migratory songbird that winters mostly in western Mexico,

returns in April to the sage.

Sagebrush habitat, often called shrub step, is a common landscape

of the interior west. However, each year, more and more of it is being cleared for irrigated

crops and development. The diminutive Brewer's Sparrow shares its nesting habitat with other fancy

singers, like the long-winded sage thrasher,

and the melodic Vesper Sparrow.

All three of these birds are sandy-browning color, blending so seamlessly with their surroundings

that only a sharp eye can pick them out.

Yet even among this accomplished company, the Brewer's song stands apart.

While most birds offer a melody, the Brewer's song stands apart. While most birds offer a melody,

the Brewer's Sparrow seems to perform an entire aria. Find all our episodes and a lot more information about birds at our website, birdnote.org.

I'm Mary McCann.