Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyPasserellidae (New World Sparrows)
- GenusPasserculus
- SpeciesPasserculus sandwichensis (Savannah Sparrow)
About the Savannah Sparrow
The Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) is a small New World sparrow that is the only member of the genus Passerculus. It is a widespread and abundant species that occupies open grassland habitats in North America.
Over most of its range it is migratory, breeding in Canada and the northern United States while wintering in Mexico and the southern United States. It is a sexually monomorphic species that is quite variable in appearance. Around 17 subspecies are currently recognised. These are divided into several groups, some of which have sometimes been considered as separate species.
The species name sandwichensis is Latin from Sandwich Sound (now Prince William Sound) in southern Alaska from where the first specimen was collected. The common name refers to Savannah, Georgia, where Alexander Wilson observed the species in 1811.
The Savannah sparrow was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the buntings in the genus Emberiza and coined the binomial name Emberiza sandwichensis. Gmelin based his text on the Sandwich bunting that had been... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Cabo Pulmo National Park
Green-tailed Towhee
Pipilo chlorurus
Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
California Towhee
Melozone crissalis
Clay-colored Sparrow
Spizella pallida
Canyon Towhee
Melozone fusca
Black-throated Sparrow
Amphispiza bilineata
Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Brewer's Sparrow
Spizella breweri
Black-chinned Sparrow
Spizella atrogularis
Lark Bunting
Calamospiza melanocorys
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Aimophila ruficeps
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 Savannah Sparrow in Cabo Pulmo National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Savannah Sparrow sighting in Cabo Pulmo National Park, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Savannah Sparrow in Cabo Pulmo National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Savannah Sparrow in Cabo Pulmo National Park in our monthly data.