Rufous-collared Sparrow

Next I have a series of bird photographs from the grounds of the Hotel de Montaña Monteverde. Most were taken on 6 July, but others on the afternoon of 5 July, or the morning of the 7th. Rufous-collared Sparrows greeted us at the hotel. These birds are in the same genus as our White-throated Sparrows.

Rufous-collared Sparrows are abundant from southern Mexico to Tierra del Fuego. They are also found from sea level to the tops of Andean peaks. Across their range, they flush along roadsides, parks, human habitations, and other cleared areas. With such a huge range, it is not surprising that at least 25 subspecies are recognized by ornithologists. The Handbook of Birds of the World speculates that some of these races will be declared full species. The race found in Monteverde is found from Costa Rica to Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador.