Zonotrichia leucophrys
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) is a species of passerine bird native to North America. A medium-sized member of the New World sparrow family, this species is marked by a grey face and black and white streaking on the upper head. It breeds in brushy areas in the taiga and tundra of the northernmost parts of the continent and in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific coast. While southerly populations in the Rocky Mountains and coast are largely resident, the breeding populations of the northerly part of its range are migratory and can be found as wintering or passage visitors through most of North America south to central Mexico.
The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name Zonotrichia is from Ancient Greek ζώνη (zone, transl. band) and θρίξ (thrix, transl. hair). The species name leucophrys is from λευκός (leukos, transl. white) and ὀφρῡ́ς (ophrus, transl. eyebrow).
Adults have black and white stripes on their head, a gray face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are gray. Their bill is pink or yellow. They are similar in appearance to the white-throated sparrow, but... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-crowned Sparrow sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 374 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a White-crowned Sparrow in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May and June, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-crowned 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.
24th of 44
Of the 44 parks where we can rate White-crowned Sparrow sightings, El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve ranks 24th at about 20%. The best odds are in Denali National Park (United States, about 80%), Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 60%) and Katmai National Park (United States, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the White-crowned Sparrow that you can see in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Savannah Sparrow (about 40%), Green-tailed Towhee (about 10%) and Black-throated Sparrow (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-crowned Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (374 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.
