Dickcissel

Dickcissel

Spiza americana

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Saguaro National Park
314 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,097 Verified sightings across all 60 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Dickcissel

The dickcissel (Spiza americana) is a small seed-eating migratory bird in the family Cardinalidae. It breeds on the prairie grasslands of the Midwestern United States and winters in Central America, northern Colombia, and northern Venezuela. It is the only member of the genus Spiza, though some sources list another supposedly extinct species.

The dickcissel was formally described in 1789 by German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin under the binomial name Emberiza americana. Gmelin based his account on the "black-throated bunting" that the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant had described and illustrated in 1785 in his Arctic Zoology. The dickcissel is now the only species placed in the genus Spiza that was introduced in 1824 by French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The genus name Spiza is the Ancient Greek word for a common type of finch, now assumed to be a chaffinch. The species is monotypic; no subspecies are recognised.

The dickcissel is part of a group of the Cardinalidae that also includes Amaurospiza, Cyanocompsa, Cyanoloxia, and Passerina. Spiza is the only one among these that lacks blue structural colors in its plumage. Though the color pattern and habits... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Northern Cardinal
LC Endemic

Northern Cardinal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis cardinalis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Pyrrhuloxia
LC

Pyrrhuloxia

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis sinuatus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Western Tanager
LC

Western Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piranga ludoviciana

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Summer Tanager
LC

Summer Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piranga rubra

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Lazuli Bunting
LC

Lazuli Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina amoena

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black-headed Grosbeak
LC

Black-headed Grosbeak

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Blue Grosbeak
LC

Blue Grosbeak

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina caerulea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Varied Bunting
LC

Varied Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina versicolor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Indigo Bunting
LC

Indigo Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina cyanea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
LC

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Painted Bunting
LC

Painted Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina ciris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Hepatic Tanager
LC

Hepatic Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piranga flava

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

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

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
7 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
8 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
9 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
10 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
11 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
12 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
<5%
13 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
14 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
15 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
16 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
17 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
18 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
19 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
21 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
22 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
26 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
27 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
28 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
29 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
30 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
31 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
32 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
33 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
34 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
35 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
36 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
Insufficient data
37 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
38 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
39 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
40 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
41 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
42 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
43 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
44 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
45 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
46 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
47 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
Insufficient data
48 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
49 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
50 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
Insufficient data
51 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
52 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
53 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
54 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
55 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
56 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
57 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
58 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
59 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
60 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Dickcissel in Saguaro National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Dickcissel sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 314 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Dickcissel in Saguaro National Park?

September has the highest sighting rate for Dickcissel in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

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