[5] In general, with Bell's Sparrow the malar is darker than the head while on the sagebrush it is about the same shade of darkish gray.

[6][7] The amount a streaking on the back as well as the shade of the mantle may also be used to separate the two, but this is affected by wear on the feathers.

[5] Bell's sparrows are indeed often tied to sagebrush habitats, although they can also be found in brushy stands of saltbush, chamise, and other low shrubs of the arid west.

[8] and has been proposed for removal from the Endangered Species Act by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

[9] The species' common name and binomial (belli) refer to John Graham Bell.