Arremonops rufivirgatus
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The olive sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found from Texas to Costa Rica. The olive sparrow was formally described in 1851 with the binomial Embernagra rufivigata and the English name "brown striped olive finch". In 1896 Robert Ridgway erected the genus Arremonops and reassigned the olive sparrow to it as the type species.
The olive sparrow's further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC and AviList assign it these eight subspecies: The other systems include it within the nominate A. r. rufivirgatus. This article follows the eight-subspecies model.
The olive sparrow is about 12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 15 to 30 g... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Masaya Volcano National Park | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 12 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 13 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 15 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Olive Sparrow sighting in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, based on 684 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 275 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report an Olive Sparrow in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, against about 20% in October and November, the lowest months. That is one of Cumbres de Monterrey National Park's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain against 20 mm in December.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Olive 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.
Among the best
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Olive Sparrow sightings, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cañón del Sumidero National Park (Mexico, about 40%).
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the Olive Sparrow that you can see in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Rufous-crowned Sparrow (about 20%), Spotted Towhee (about 10%) and Lincoln's Sparrow (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Olive Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (684 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.
