Searching for Sparrows in the Sky Islands

The grasslands of Sonora, Mexico, haven’t seen bird counts in 15 years. Now, ranchers and biologists are teaming up to assess, and protect, North America's avian diversity.

This story is co-published with High Country News.

Biologists from Sky Island Alliance and Mexico's Commission of Natural Protected Areas set out for winter bird monitoring near Cananea, Sonora. (Photo courtesy of Sky Island Alliance)

On a hillside above an oak-lined wash, 25 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border in the state of Sonora, a norteño ballad t…