Rufous-collared Sparrow: how to recognise it
A bird of North America and South America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Esteban Poveda · CC BY · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Zonotrichia capensis
- Family
- New World Sparrows
- Size
- About 15 cm
- Habitat
- Open country, gardens, towns and mountain slopes
- Found in
- North America and South America
The key marks
Small sparrow with a grey head striped black and white, a rufous collar around the neck, a white throat and a short crest. White-crowned Sparrow has bold black-and-white crown stripes and a plain grey chest, with no rufous collar.
Voice
A clear, whistled song of a few notes followed by a trill.
Good to know
One of the most widespread birds of the Americas, found from southern Mexico to Tierra del Fuego and from sea level to high mountains.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the White-crowned Sparrow. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in open country, gardens, towns and mountain slopes. It is especially common in Peru, Argentina, Ecuador and Chile. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.