Ammodramus aurifrons
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The yellow-browed sparrow (Ammodramus aurifrons) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae. First described by Johann Baptist von Spix in 1825, this American sparrow is found across much of the Amazon basin in South America. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, pastureland, and heavily degraded former forest.
When Johann Baptist von Spix first described the yellow-browed sparrow in 1825, he put it in the now-defunct genus Tanagra, believing it to be a tanager. The classification error was soon recognized, and the species was moved first to the genus Ammodramus, then to Myospiza—a genus Robert Ridgway created in 1898 for this and the closely related grassland sparrow. Most taxonomists now subsume Myospiza into Ammodramus. DNA analysis indicates that the yellow-browed sparrow is a sister species to the grassland sparrow, and that these two species make a sister group with the grasshopper sparrow; these three are genetically distinct from the other Ammodramus sparrows. The yellow-browed sparrow has four subspecies, which differ primarily in the extent of yellow on the face and the amount of streaking on the upperparts and crown:
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 7 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manaus | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-browed Sparrow sighting in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 228th most-seen of the 328 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.
August and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-browed Sparrow in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January–July and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-browed 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.
8th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Yellow-browed Sparrow sightings, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 20%), Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, about 20%) and Anavilhanas National Park (Brazil, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Yellow-browed Sparrow that you can see in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Yellow-rumped Cacique (about 70%), Red-capped Cardinal (about 60%) and Russet-backed Oropendola (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-browed Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (14 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.
