Orange-billed Sparrow

How to find it

Scan trail edges and the forest floor, since it sometimes steps out onto paths and the edges of clearings. Otherwise it stays in the undergrowth. A birding tour found it usually on the ground, sometimes near feeders, and watching from above at a feeder area worked well. At Arenal it has been called a regular sight in the dark forest interior. Listen for the high thin song, and remember that the Pacific version is a tinkling jumble while the Caribbean one is not.

How to recognise it

Adults show a bright orange bill and a white throat. The head is black with thick white eyebrows. The back is olive, the belly is white, and a wide black band crosses the chest. Males and females look alike.

The bird is about 15.5 cm long and weighs about 35 g, with a sturdy build.

Young birds look different. The bill is black with yellow at the base and turns orange during the first year. Juveniles are dusky olive above and on the chest.

Across its range a yellow shoulder patch is present but not always easy to see, and a faint grey stripe runs down the middle of the crown.

What it sounds like

Recording: Rajan Rao, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

This bird forages on the ground or in low shrubs, taking seeds, insects and fruit. In Costa Rica it forms pairs or family groups. Across its range these groups usually hold the same territory year-round, roughly a hectare or more, working through the leaf litter.

The nest is a bulky domed structure with a side entrance, placed on the ground and often lined with fern pieces. The female lays two white eggs with brown or black speckles. Breeding is reported from April to August.

Where it lives

It lives in the dark understory of humid forest and tall secondary growth.

On the Caribbean side it is a common resident of the lowlands, climbing to about 800 m in some foothills. On the southern Pacific side it reaches about 1,200 m locally.

On the Pacific slope it is common in the south, in lowlands and slopes, and its range extends north to Carara National Park. Farther north it is local in gallery forest, up to Puntarenas.

When to see it

It is a year-round resident, so it is not tied to a season for visitors. Breeding is reported from April to August.

Similar birds

Its plumage pattern resembles some brush-finches. The bright orange bill still identifies it, even when the bird is seen only briefly.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Rican names for this bird include Pico de Oro, Pico Rojo and Pico Chile, alongside the official name Pinzón Piquinaranja. Other Spanish names used in the region include Cerquero Piquinaranja and Rascador Piquinaranja, and Panama uses Gorrión Piquinaranja.

Status and conservation

The AOCR list marks it as a resident, and IUCN rates it Least Concern, though the population trend is listed as decreasing.

Photography tips

Watch from above at feeder areas, where it has been seen on the ground below. Otherwise work trail edges and the forest floor slowly, and wait for it to step out onto a path or the edge of a clearing.