Aimophila rufescens
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The rusty sparrow (Aimophila rufescens) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found from Mexico to Costa Rica. The rusty sparrow was formally described by William Swainson in 1827 with the binomial Pipilo rufescens, placing it among the towhees. In 1840 it was reassigned to its present genus Aimophila that Swainson had erected in 1837; the now A. rufescens was designated the genus' type species.
The rusty sparrow has these seven subspecies: The rusty sparrow is 16.5 to 20 cm (6.5 to 7.9 in) long and weighs 34 to 48 g (1.2 to 1.7 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies A. r. rufescens have a chestnut crown with black streaks and a thin olive gray or buffy stripe in its middle. They have dark brown lores, a whitish streak above the lores, a white eye-ring, and a dusky stripe behind the eye on an otherwise olive grayish face. Their back and scapulars are brown with wide black streaks. Their wings are mostly brown with chestnut secondaries and inner greater coverts. Their tail is chestnut brown. Their chin, throat, and belly are grayish buff with a blackish stripe on... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 7 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty Sparrow sighting in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, based on 67 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 109th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty Sparrow in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March, August and October–November, the lowest months. That is one of Cañón del Sumidero National Park's wettest months, with about 250 mm of rain against 5 mm in February.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rusty Sparrow sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Rusty Sparrow sightings, Cañón del Sumidero National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cusuco National Park (Honduras, about 20%), Celaque National Park (Honduras, about 20%) and La Tigra National Park (Honduras, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rusty Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Cañón del Sumidero National Park (67 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.
