Aimophila ruficeps
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The rufous-crowned sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps) is a small American sparrow. This passerine is primarily found across the Southwestern United States and much of the interior of Mexico, south to the transverse mountain range, and to the Pacific coast to the southwest of the transverse range. Its distribution is patchy, with populations often being isolated from each other. Twelve subspecies are generally recognized, though up to eighteen have been suggested. This bird has a brown back with darker streaks and gray underparts. The crown is rufous, and the face and supercilium are gray with a brown or rufous streak extending from each eye and a thick black malar streak.
These sparrows feed primarily on seeds in the winter and insects in the spring and summer. The birds are often territorial, with males guarding their territory through song and displays. Flight is awkward for this species, which prefers to hop along the ground for locomotion. They are monogamous and breed during spring. Two to five eggs are laid in the bird's nest, which is cup-shaped and well hidden. Adult sparrows are preyed upon by house cats and small raptors, while young may be taken by a range of mammals and reptiles. They have been known to live for up to three years, two months. Although the species has been classified as least concern, or unthreatened with extinction, some subspecies are threatened by habitat destruction and one may be extinct. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-crowned Sparrow sighting in Zion National Park on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 134th most-seen of the 183 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-crowned Sparrow in Zion National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-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.
8th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Rufous-crowned Sparrow sightings, Zion National Park ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 50%), Big Bend National Park (United States, about 40%) and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow that you can see in Zion National Park (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Spotted Towhee (about 60%), Dark-eyed Junco (about 30%) and Song Sparrow (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-crowned Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Zion National Park (40 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.
