Artemisiospiza belli
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Bell's sparrow (Artemisiospiza belli) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found in Mexico and the United States. Bell's sparrow has a complicated taxonomic history. It was formally described in 1850 with the binomial Emberiza belli. Its specific epithet and later English name honor John Graham Bell, who discovered and collected the lectotype. Bell's sparrow was later reassigned to genus Amphispiza that was erected in 1874 and was also given the English name "sage sparrow". In 2007 the new genus Artemisiospiza was suggested for the sage sparrow and in 2011 it was formally erected. Taxonomic systems began adopting the new assignment in 2012.
The further taxonomy of Bell's sparrow is unsettled. The IOC and AviList assign it these three subspecies: What is now the sagebrush sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) was originally... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bell's Sparrow sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 54 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 138th most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bell's Sparrow in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and April–July, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bell's 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 3 parks where we can rate Bell's Sparrow sightings, El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the Bell's Sparrow that you can see in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Savannah Sparrow (about 40%), White-crowned Sparrow (about 20%) and Green-tailed Towhee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bell's Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (54 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.
