Rufous-collared Sparrow
Zonotrichia capensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyPasserellidae (New World Sparrows)
- GenusZonotrichia (Zonotrichia Sparrows)
- SpeciesZonotrichia capensis (Rufous-collared Sparrow)
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. Wikipedia →
60–70% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-collared Sparrow sighting in Poás Volcano National Park, based on 220 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Poás Volcano National Park
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager
Chlorospingus pileatus
Yellow-thighed Finch
Atlapetes tibialis
Common Chlorospingus
Chlorospingus flavopectus
Large-footed Finch
Pezopetes capitalis
Volcano Junco
Junco vulcani
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch
Arremon brunneinucha
Sooty-faced Finch
Arremon crassirostris
Orange-billed Sparrow
Arremon aurantiirostris
White-eared Ground-Sparrow
Melozone leucotis
White-naped Brush-Finch
Atlapetes albinucha
Slaty Flowerpiercer
Diglossa plumbea
Mountain Elaenia
Elaenia frantzii
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Rufous-collared Sparrow in Poás Volcano National Park?
About 63% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-collared Sparrow sighting in Poás Volcano National Park, based on 220 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Rufous-collared Sparrow in Poás Volcano National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Rufous-collared Sparrow in Poás Volcano National Park in our monthly data.