Where to See Black-throated Sparrows in Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Photo: RJ Baltierra, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist; cropped, with lettering added by Brian Russ Guides. Observed in Doña Ana County, NM, USA, on February 2, 2022.
Most people come to Carlsbad Caverns for what's underground, then spend the rest of the day wondering what to do in the hot, bright desert above it. Here's a cheap answer: look at the shrubs. The Black-throated Sparrow is one of the park's year-round residents (NPS), which means it doesn't care what month your tickets are for.
It's also an easy bird to learn. If you're building a trip around the cave, the Carlsbad Caverns National Park guide covers one- to three-day plans, and this sparrow fits in the gaps: an early-morning scan of the desert scrub before the cave timing takes over your day.
Why this bird is worth your time at Carlsbad Caverns
This isn't a rarity, and I won't pretend it is. It's native across the arid Southwest and is common in a lot of desert. What makes it a good pick here is that the park lists it among its commonly seen year-round residents, and it lives in open desert scrub, the kind of habitat the park sits in. The park's checklist runs to 357 species, and some of the stars (like the varied bunting, which the park lists as a state-threatened breeder) are tied to particular seasons and canyons. A bird you can look for in any month is a useful thing to have in your back pocket.
Photo: Mike Tilley, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Observed in Carlsbad, NM 88220, USA, on November 13, 2024.
How to recognize a Black-throated Sparrow
Amphispiza bilineata is a small, neat sparrow, about 5 to 6 inches long (Audubon). The adult has a gray-brown back, a clean pale belly, and a gray head with two bold white stripes, one over the eye and one along the cheek, framing a black triangular bib. Once you've seen that face, you'll recognize it from across a parking lot.
Juveniles are the tricky ones. Young birds have a white throat instead of the black bib, with faint streaking, so they look like a different sparrow until you notice the face stripes (All About Birds). Sagebrush and Bell's sparrows are gray-headed with a pale eyering, but they lack the bold white eyebrow and black throat. The song is two clear notes followed by a buzzy trill, and in winter flocks keep up soft tinkling calls (Audubon).
Photo: CK2AZ, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Observed in Alamogordo, NM, US, on May 9, 2019.
Where and when to look
Look in open, shrubby desert, not in the cave entrance or the shady canyons. The sparrow likes creosote flats, saltbush, and open scrub, and it spends most of its time on or near the ground (Audubon). In spring, males sing from the tops of low bushes, which is when it's easiest to spot (All About Birds). Winter birds gather in flocks on open ground.
The park doesn't name a trail for this species, so I'll stay general: walk or drive slowly through low-elevation desert scrub, early in the morning when the birds are active and the sun isn't cooking you. Stop at pullouts, stand quietly, and scan the top few inches of the bushes. If you're reading this in late fall or winter, it's here and it's flocking, so check the ground under shrubs as well as the perches.
Photo: Tom Field, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Observed in Jeff Davis County, TX, USA, on April 24, 2024.
How to fit it into a Carlsbad Caverns trip
Don't make a special trip for it. Treat the sparrow as a bonus for the first or last hour of the day. If you only have one day, put the cave first and use whatever daylight is left for desert birding. If you have two or three days, the cooler hours around sunrise are the best time to look. I covered what to expect in the cooler months in visiting Carlsbad Caverns in winter; the how-many-days question is in the itinerary post.
If your bird list is the point, Rattlesnake Springs is the park's famous birding spot: a wooded riparian area and a National Audubon Important Bird Area where over 300 species have been recorded (NPS). It's a different habitat from the sparrow's, so think of it as the second stop, not the same one. And if you're a summer visitor, the Natural Entrance is also an Important Bird Area because of its cave swallow colony (NPS), which makes a nice contrast with a quiet desert sparrow.
What it does all day
Mostly it forages on the ground for seeds and insects, eating more seeds in winter and more insects in summer, and now and then it grabs an insect in midair (Audubon). It can go without drinking water at certain times of year, getting what it needs from insects and green plants, which is a handy trick in a place this dry. Nesting follows the rains, so the timing shifts from year to year (Audubon).
Photo: Kevin Floyd, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Observed in Franklin Mountains State Park, El Paso, TX, US, on September 28, 2019.
Photo: Bud Lensing, CC0, via iNaturalist. Observed in Eddy County, NM, USA, on May 6, 2025.
Watching it responsibly
Binoculars beat approaching. Don't use recordings or playback to pull a bird out of the brush, don't feed it, and keep your distance from anything that looks like a nest, especially low in a shrub or cactus, where this species nests. Stay on trails and established pullouts. Park rules on wildlife apply, so check with the Visitor Center for the current guidance.
Plan your visit
A quiet desert sparrow won't be the headline of your trip, and that's fine. It's a reliable small win on a day built around a cave. For itineraries and ideas for the rest of your time, see the Carlsbad Caverns National Park guide.
Before you go: see Carlsbad Caverns National Park alerts and current conditions, checked daily, for current closures and what they mean for your trip.
This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Conditions change; check the park's current alerts before you go.
