Savannah Sparrow
Savannah SparrowSavannah SparrowSavannah SparrowSavannah Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Saguaro National Park
1,425 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026
21,835 Verified sightings across all 50 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 Saguaro National Park

Abert's Towhee
LC

Abert's Towhee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melozone aberti

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
White-crowned Sparrow
LC

White-crowned Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Song Sparrow
LC Endemic

Song Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melospiza melodia

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Black-throated Sparrow
LC Endemic

Black-throated Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Amphispiza bilineata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Rufous-winged Sparrow
LC

Rufous-winged Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Peucaea carpalis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Lark Sparrow
LC

Lark Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chondestes grammacus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Lincoln's Sparrow
LC

Lincoln's Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melospiza lincolnii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Chipping Sparrow
LC

Chipping Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spizella passerina

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Canyon Towhee
LC

Canyon Towhee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melozone fusca

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Brewer's Sparrow
LC

Brewer's Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spizella breweri

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Green-tailed Towhee
LC

Green-tailed Towhee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pipilo chlorurus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Harris's Sparrow
NT

Harris's Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Zonotrichia querula

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

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 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~50%
2 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
3 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
4 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
5 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
6 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
7 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
8 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
9 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
10 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
11 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
12 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
13 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
14 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
15 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
16 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
17 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
18 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
19 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
20 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
21 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
22 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
23 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
24 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
25 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
26 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
27 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
28 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
29 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
30 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
32 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
36 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
37 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
38 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
39 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
40 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
41 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
42 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
43 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
44 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
45 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
46 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
47 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
48 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
49 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
50 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

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

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Savannah Sparrow sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 1,425 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

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

October has the highest sighting rate for Savannah Sparrow in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

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