Zonotrichia capensis
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The rufous-collared sparrow or Andean sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) is an American sparrow found in a wide range of habitats, often near humans, from the extreme south-east of Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, and the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It has diverse vocalizations, which have been intensely studied since the 1970s, particularly by Paul Handford and Stephen C. Lougheed (UWO), Fernando Nottebohm (Rockefeller University) and Pablo Luis Tubaro (UBA). Local names for this bird include the Portuguese tico-tico and mariquinha, the Aymara Pichitanka the Spanish copetón ("tufted") in Colombia, as well as chingolo and chincol, comemaíz "corn eater" in Costa Rica, chincol in Chile and Cigua de Constanza in the Dominican Republic.
The rufous-collared sparrow is 13.5–15 cm (5+1⁄4–6 in) long and weighs 20–25 g (0.71–0.88 oz). The adult has a stubby grey bill, and a grey head with broad black stripes on the crown sides, and thinner stripes through the eye and below the cheeks. The nape and breast sides are rufous, and the upperparts are black-streaked buff-brown. There are two white wing bars. The throat is white, and the underparts are off-white, becoming brown on... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Arequipa | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | La Paz | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Santiago | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 6 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 8 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 9 | Cochabamba | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 10 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Parque de las Leyendas | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Very likely
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-collared Sparrow sighting in Los Quetzales National Park on a given day, based on 11,640 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 252 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and December–February
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-collared Sparrow in Los Quetzales National Park on a given day, against about 80% in March–July and September–November, the lowest months. Those are among Los Quetzales National Park's driest months, with about 190 mm of rain a month against 730 mm in October.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-collared 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 41 parks where we can rate Rufous-collared Sparrow sightings, Los Quetzales National Park ranks 4th at about 90%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Irazú Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 90%), Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, about 90%) and El Palmar National Park (Argentina, about 90%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-collared Sparrow that you can see in Los Quetzales National Park (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager (about 70%), Yellow-thighed Finch (about 60%) and Large-footed Finch (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-collared Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Quetzales National Park (11,640 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.
