Frequents hedgerows, chaparral, dense thickets, and undergrowth of forested woodlands. 

This large, brownish sparrow is typically more heavily streaked below than on Song Sparrow. Lower mandible is usually paler than the contrastingly darker upper mandible. Some birds show gray coloration in head and upper back; most birds show rufous wash in wings, rump, and tail.

Diet includes insects, seeds, fruit, and other vegetable matter. Forages by agressively scratching surface of the ground, much like a California Towhee.