Bombus sonorus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Bombus sonorus, commonly known as the Sonoran bumble bee, is a species of bumble bee in the family Apidae. It is found in Mexico and southwestern North America. Although it has often been categorized as a subspecies of Bombus pensylvanicus, it has since been shown to not hybridize with B. pensylvanicus over a broad area of geographic overlap, confirming its status as a distinct species.
Female B. sonorus is recognized by having the thoracic hairs yellow on the pronotum, anterior portion of scutum, and scutellum resulting in a black band between the base of the wings. Additionally, the first three abdominal segments (T1-T3) are entirely yellow. Males are similar, but have T1-T4 yellow. The shade of yellow is deep golden color. It can be confused with the yellow form of Bombus crotchii and with Bombus nevadensis. It is known to collect pollen from Gossypium, Viguiera, Helianthus, Linaria, Chrysothamnus, and Kallstroemia flowers. These bumblebees generally nest underground, often in old pocket gopher burrows.
The genus name Bombus is Latin for a buzzing sound. The specific name sonorus translates literally from Latin as noisy, loud, resounding... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sonoran Bumble Bee sighting in Saguaro National Park on a given day, based on 54 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 63rd most-seen of the 354 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Sonoran Bumble Bee in Saguaro National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months. That is one of Saguaro National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 55 mm in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sonoran Bumble Bee 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 2 parks where we can rate Sonoran Bumble Bee sightings, Saguaro National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sonoran Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Saguaro National Park (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.
