List of New World sparrow species


The International Ornithological Committee recognizes these 141 species in the New World sparrow family Passerellidae, distributed among 30 genera in the following sequence. One extinct species, the Bermuda towhee, is included. Confusingly, only 70 of the 141 include "sparrow" in their name. Forty-four are called brushfinches and the remaining 27 have a variety of other names. The North American and South American classification committees of the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy recognize fewer species, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World recognizes more, and all three also use some different common names.
This list is presented according to the IOC taxonomic sequence and can also be sorted alphabetically by common name and binomial.
ImageCommon nameBinomial name + authorityIOC sequence
Tanager finchOreothraupis arremonops 1
Yellow-throated bush tanagerChlorospingus flavigularis 2
Yellow-whiskered bush tanagerChlorospingus parvirostris Chapman, 19013
Ashy-throated bush tanagerChlorospingus canigularis 4
Sooty-capped bush tanagerChlorospingus pileatus Salvin, 18655
Common bush tanagerChlorospingus flavopectus 6
Tacarcuna bush tanagerChlorospingus tacarcunae Griscom, 19247
Pirre bush tanagerChlorospingus inornatus 8
Dusky bush tanagerChlorospingus semifuscus Sclater, PL & Salvin, 18739
Tumbes sparrowRhynchospiza stolzmanni 10
Yungas sparrowRhynchospiza dabbenei 11
Chaco sparrowRhynchospiza strigiceps 12
Rufous-winged sparrowPeucaea carpalis Coues, 187313
Cinnamon-tailed sparrowPeucaea sumichrasti 14
Stripe-headed sparrowPeucaea ruficauda 15
Black-chested sparrowPeucaea humeralis 16
Bridled sparrowPeucaea mystacalis 17
Botteri's sparrowPeucaea botterii 18
Cassin's sparrowPeucaea cassinii 19
Bachman's sparrowPeucaea aestivalis 20
Grasshopper sparrowAmmodramus savannarum 21
Grassland sparrowAmmodramus humeralis 22
Yellow-browed sparrowAmmodramus aurifrons 23
Olive sparrowArremonops rufivirgatus 24
Green-backed sparrowArremonops chloronotus 25
Black-striped sparrowArremonops conirostris 26
Tocuyo sparrowArremonops tocuyensis Todd, 191227
Five-striped sparrowAmphispizopsis quinquestriata 28
Black-throated sparrowAmphispiza bilineata 29
Lark sparrowChondestes grammacus 30
Lark buntingCalamospiza melanocorys Stejneger, 188531
Chipping sparrowSpizella passerina 32
Clay-colored sparrowSpizella pallida 33
Black-chinned sparrowSpizella atrogularis 34
Field sparrowSpizella pusilla 35
Brewer's sparrowSpizella breweri Cassin, 185636
Worthen's sparrowSpizella wortheni Ridgway, 188437
Sierra Nevada brushfinchArremon basilicus 38
Perija brushfinchArremon perijanus 39
Costa Rican brushfinchArremon costaricensis 40
Black-headed brushfinchArremon atricapillus 41
Caracas brushfinchArremon phaeopleurus 42
Paria brushfinchArremon phygas 43
Grey-browed brushfinchArremon assimilis 44
White-browed brushfinchArremon torquatus 45
Orange-billed sparrowArremon aurantiirostris Lafresnaye, 184746
Black-capped sparrowArremon abeillei Lesson, RP, 184447
Maranon sparrowArremon nigriceps Taczanowski, 188048
Golden-winged sparrowArremon schlegeli Bonaparte, 185049
Yellow-mandibled sparrowArremon axillaris Sclater, PL, 185450
Pectoral sparrowArremon taciturnus 51
Sao Francisco sparrowArremon franciscanus Raposo, M, 199752
Half-collared sparrowArremon semitorquatus Swainson, 183853
Moss-backed sparrowArremon dorbignii Sclater, PL, 185654
Saffron-billed sparrowArremon flavirostris Swainson, 183855
Green-striped brushfinchArremon virenticeps 56
Chestnut-capped brushfinchArremon brunneinucha 57
Sooty-faced finchArremon crassirostris 58
Olive finchArremon castaneiceps 59
Sooty fox sparrowPasserella unalaschcensis 60
Slate-colored fox sparrowPasserella schistacea Baird, SF, 185861
Thick-billed fox sparrowPasserella megarhyncha Baird, SF, 185862
Red fox sparrowPasserella iliaca 63
American tree sparrowSpizelloides arborea 64
Volcano juncoJunco vulcani 65
Guadalupe juncoJunco insularis Ridgway, 187666
Dark-eyed juncoJunco hyemalis 67
Yellow-eyed juncoJunco phaeonotus Wagler, 183168
Baird's juncoJunco bairdi Ridgway, 188369
Rufous-collared sparrowZonotrichia capensis 70
White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys 71
Golden-crowned sparrowZonotrichia atricapilla 72
Harris's sparrowZonotrichia querula 73
White-throated sparrowZonotrichia albicollis 74
Sagebrush sparrowArtemisiospiza nevadensis 75
Bell's sparrowArtemisiospiza belli 76
Striped sparrowOriturus superciliosus 77
Vesper sparrowPooecetes gramineus 78
LeConte's sparrowAmmospiza leconteii 79
Seaside sparrowAmmospiza maritima 80
Nelson's sparrowAmmospiza nelsoni 81
Saltmarsh sparrowAmmospiza caudacuta 82
Baird's sparrowCentronyx bairdii 83
Henslow's sparrowCentronyx henslowii 84
Savannah sparrowPasserculus sandwichensis 85
Sierra Madre sparrowXenospiza baileyi Bangs, 193186
Song sparrowMelospiza melodia 87
Lincoln's sparrowMelospiza lincolnii 88
Swamp sparrowMelospiza georgiana 89
Large-footed finchPezopetes capitalis Cabanis, 186190
Zapata sparrowTorreornis inexpectata Barbour & Peters, JL, 192791
Rusty-crowned ground sparrowMelozone kieneri 92
Canyon towhee† Melozone fusca 93
White-throated towheeMelozone albicollis 94
Abert's towheeMelozone aberti 95
California towheeMelozone crissalis 96
White-eared ground sparrowMelozone leucotis Cabanis, 186197
Prevost's ground sparrowMelozone biarcuata 98
Cabanis's ground sparrowMelozone cabanisi 99
Rusty sparrowAimophila rufescens 100
Rufous-crowned sparrowAimophila ruficeps 101
Oaxaca sparrowAimophila notosticta 102
Green-tailed towheePipilo chlorurus 103
Spotted towheePipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827104
Eastern towheePipilo erythrophthalmus 105
Bermuda towheePipilo naufragus Olson & Wingate, 2012106
Collared towheePipilo ocai 107
Rufous-capped brushfinchAtlapetes pileatus Wagler, 1831108
White-naped brushfinchAtlapetes albinucha 109
Yellow-thighed brushfinchAtlapetes tibialis 110
Yellow-green brushfinchAtlapetes luteoviridis 111
Moustached brushfinchAtlapetes albofrenatus 112
Merida brushfinchAtlapetes meridae 113
Tepui brushfinchAtlapetes personatus 114
Santa Marta brushfinchAtlapetes melanocephalus 115
Ochre-breasted brushfinchAtlapetes semirufus 116
Yellow-headed brushfinchAtlapetes flaviceps Chapman, 1912117
Dusky-headed brushfinchAtlapetes fuscoolivaceus Chapman, 1914118
White-rimmed brushfinchAtlapetes leucopis 119
White-headed brushfinchAtlapetes albiceps 120
Rufous-eared brushfinchAtlapetes rufigenis 121
Choco brushfinchAtlapetes crassus Bangs, 1908122
Tricolored brushfinchAtlapetes tricolor 123
Slaty brushfinchAtlapetes schistaceus 124
Taczanowksi's brushfinchAtlapetes taczanowksii 125
Pale-naped brushfinchAtlapetes pallidinucha 126
Antioquia brushfinchAtlapetes blancae Donegan, 2007127
Yellow-breasted brushfinchAtlapetes latinuchus 128
Black-fronted brushfinchAtlapetes nigrifrons Phelps, WH & Gilliard, 1940129
White-winged brushfinchAtlapetes leucopterus 130
Pale-headed brushfinchAtlapetes pallidiceps 131
Bay-crowned brushfinchAtlapetes seebohmi 132
Rusty-bellied brushfinchAtlapetes nationi 133
Apurimac brushfinchAtlapetes forbesi Morrison, 1947134
Black-spectacled brushfinchAtlapetes melanopsis Valqui & Fjeldså, 2002135
Vilcabamba brushfinchAtlapetes terborghi Remsen, 1993136
Cuzco brushfinchAtlapetes canigenis Chapman, 1919137
Grey-eared brushfinchAtlapetes melanolaemus 138
Bolivian brushfinchAtlapetes rufinucha 139
Fulvous-headed brushfinchAtlapetes fulviceps 140
Yellow-striped brushfinchAtlapetes citrinellus 141