The Brewer's Sparrow has black streaks on its back and a slim white eye-ring. It searches dry shrublands for insects and also eats seeds in winter or during migration.
Adults of the typical subspecies have a gray face and breast, a brown back with black streaks, and a slim white eye-ring. Feathers on the crown tend to stand slightly up.
It is active by day and searches big sagebrush for insects during breeding. It also eats seeds in winter or on migration. The northern subspecies taverneri breeds in subalpine to alpine shrub habitat at higher elevations.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.