Melospiza melodia
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is a medium-sized New World sparrow. Among the native sparrows in North America, it is easily one of the most abundant, variable, and adaptable species. Adult song sparrows have brown upperparts with dark streaks on the back and are white underneath with dark streaking and a dark brown spot in the middle of the breast. They have a brown cap and a long brown rounded tail. Their face is gray with a brown streak through each eye. They are highly variable in size across numerous subspecies (for subspecies details, see below). The body length ranges from 11 to 18 cm (4.3 to 7.1 in) and wingspan can range from 18 to 25.4 cm (7.1 to 10.0 in). Body mass ranges from 11.9 to 53 g (0.42 to 1.87 oz). The average of all races is 32 g (1.1 oz) but the widespread nominate subspecies (M. m. melodia) weighs only about 22 g (0.78 oz) on average. The maximum lifespan in the wild is 11.3 years. The eggs of the song sparrow are brown with greenish-white spots. Females lay three to five eggs per clutch, with an average incubation time of 13–15 days before hatching.
In the field, they are most easily confused with Lincoln's sparrow and the Savannah... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Song Sparrow sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 161 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 137th most-seen of the 270 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November to March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Song Sparrow in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to October, the lowest months. Those are among Big Bend National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 50 mm in September.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Song Sparrow sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
35th of 40
Of the 40 parks where we can rate Song Sparrow sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 35th at under 5%. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 70%), Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 60%) and Acadia National Park (United States, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Melospiza
The closest relatives of the Song Sparrow that you can see in Big Bend National Park (genus Melospiza, Melospiza Sparrows) are Lincoln's Sparrow (about 10%) and Swamp Sparrow (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Song Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Big Bend National Park (161 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
