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Breeding Range. (Fig. 178). Abundant in the Turtle Mountains and throughout the greater portion of the Missouri Coteau (north of Dickey and McIntosh Counties); fairly common (locally abundant) on the Northeastern Drift Plain (most numerous in the Pembina Hills, Devils Lake hills, and along brushy valleys and lake margins within Griggs, Nelson, Eddy, Ramsey, Benson, and Pierce Counties), and on the Southern Drift Plain (most numerous along wooded valleys of the Sheyenne and James rivers); uncommon (locally common) in the Agassiz Lake Plain Region (most numerous on the wooded deltaic sand area of western Pembina County, and in wooded valleys along the Red River and its tributaries), on the Northwestern Drift Plain (most numerous on the sand plain of McHenry County and in wooded valleys along the Mouse River and its tributaries), on the Coteau Slope (most numerous in wooded valleys along the Missouri River and its tributaries), in the northern part of the Missouri Slope (most numerous in wooded valleys along the Knife River and other streams within Oliver, Mercer, and Dunn Counties), and in the northern part of the Little Missouri Slope within Dunn and McKenzie Counties (most numerous on wooded slopes of buttes and in wooded valleys along streams); uncommon and local in the southernmost portion of the Missouri Coteau (within Dickey and McIntosh Counties), in the southern portion of the Missouri Slope (in shelterbelts and in wooded valleys along the Heart and Cannonball rivers and their tributaries), and in the southern portion of the Little Missouri Slope (in shelterbelts and in wooded valleys along the Little Missouri River within Billings, Golden Valley, Slope, and Bowman Counties).

Breeding Habitat. The scattered, low thickets of wolfberry, of regular occurrence in tracts of mixed-grass prairie, undoubtedly represent the optimum breeding habitat for this species throughout the greater part of North Dakota. Other prairie shrub communities that are commonly occupied include low thickets composed of silverberry, and thickets of tall shrubs and small trees that are composed of a mixture of such species as choke cherry, Saskatoon serviceberry, hawthorn, bullberry, and western rose.

Clay-colored Sparrows also are of regular occurence in woodlands that are located along stream valleys, at lake margins, or on slopes of some of the higher hills and escarpments. Preferred habitats within these forested areas include brushy wood margins and more extensive successional tracts of brushland that develop as the result of forest fires or the cutting of timber. Common shrub species in these situations include American hazelnut, beaked hazelnut, nannyberry, choke cherry, and various species of shrub willows.

Locally, disturbance habitats created by man also are utilized to a considerable extent. These include shelterbelts on agricultural land, and fields of retired cropland, particularly those in which coarse forbs or weeds have become established. Characteristic forb species of this type include yellow and white sweetclover, common evening primrose, false ragweed, absinth, and various mustards.

Nesting. Breeding season: Late May to early August; peak, early June to mid-July. A pair exhibiting courtship behavior was observed on May 20 [1961] in Stutsman County, and another pair was observed building a nest on May 26 [1961] in Stutsman County (RES). Extreme egg dates (58 nests): May 29 [1901] in Nelson County (Friedmann 1963) to July 22 [1905] in Benson County (Bishop egg collection catalog, Peabody Museum). Extreme nestling dates (7 nests): June 11 [1963] in Stutsman County (RES) to July 16 [1915] in Benson County (R. Kellogg). Dates of dependent young out of the nest (6 records): June 20 [1963] in Stutsman County (RES) to August 3 [1966] in Cavalier County (P. F. Springer).

Nests ordinarily are situated near the ground in or beneath low shrubs. The distance above the ground for 34 nests ranged from 0 to 30 inches and averaged 10.8 inches. In the Minnewaukan area of Benson County, Rolfe (1897b) reports on the nesting of this species as follows: "It keeps to the prairies strictly, building from eight inches to two and a half feet from the ground in some cluster of "badger" [wolfberry] or "greasewood" [silverberry] bush, generally preferring the former, of a growth of one to two feet in height. "

Indicated clutch size (20 nests): 3 to 4 eggs; mean, 3.8 eggs. The Clay-colored Sparrow is one of the more common host species for the Brown-headed Cowbird in North Dakota. Out of 33 nests, 13 (39%) contained eggs or young of the cowbird.

Figure 178. Breeding Range of Clay-colored Sparrow.