Botteri's Sparrow

How to find it

Walk quietly through grassland and listen for the thin tsip call note and the bouncing-ball song. Once you hear a male, scan low perches such as grass stems, shrubs and fence posts. Singing males are most visible in summer and may keep singing into the heat of the day. At Rincon de la Vieja it has been seen in a grassy area high on a trail, where Rock Wren and Rusty Sparrow were reported in the same spot. One Costa Rica guide calls the sparrows there hard work and says Botteri's is much easier to see at other sites, so that spot mainly suits local birders.

How to recognise it

This is a small, plain sparrow, and its field marks are subtle. These details describe the species across its whole range, not only Costa Rican birds.

Pale grey body, with brown and blackish streaks on the back.

A chestnut line through the eye and a thin black moustache.

A grey, unstreaked breast, with small yellow patches on the shoulders.

About 15 to 17 cm long, weighing roughly 17 to 26 g.

Because the plumage is so understated, learning the song first will help you far more than studying the feathers.

What it sounds like

Recording: er-birds, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

Botteri's Sparrow is secretive. It spends much of its time hidden in tall grass and low shrubs, feeding on or near the ground, and it hides in grass clumps while looking for food stealthily. It is often detected by song rather than sight.

During the breeding season males often sing from grass stems, shrubs or fence posts, so a quiet scan of low perches can pay off.

Where it lives

Across its range this sparrow lives in dense grassland and scrub, usually at low elevations. In Costa Rica it is recorded between about 500 and 1,100 m elevation.

Its home here is the Pacific slope of the northwest, in the Cordillera de Guanacaste, where the population is separate from others. The country marks the southern limit of its range, near the Miravalles volcano in Guanacaste.

When to see it

A Costa Rica bird guide says July may be the best month to visit Rincon de la Vieja, because there is less wind and Botteri's and Rusty Sparrows are easier to find.

Similar birds

Botteri's is very hard to tell from Cassin's Sparrow by sight, but the songs differ. Cassin's does not occur in Costa Rica, so this matters mainly farther north. Compared with Cassin's, Botteri's has a clearly streaked back and a bigger bill with a thick base. Its song starts with slow pips and speeds up into a dry rattle.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Besides the official name Sabanero Pechianteado, Spanish sources also call it chingolo de Botteri and gorrión de Botteri. Other Spanish names listed include zacatonero de Botteri, sabanero dorsilistado, Chingolo Zacaterillo and Pinzón de Botteri. Costa Rican lists use Sabanero Pechianteado.

Status and conservation

The official Costa Rica list marks it as a resident (R), and the IUCN rates the species Least Concern.

Photography tips

Listen first, then scan. Males often sing from grass stems, shrubs or fence posts in the breeding season, so a low perch is your best chance of an open view. Walk quietly, since the thin tsip call note is hard to pinpoint.