Since 2004 · Licensed by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT)

Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)
Photo: Daniel Patterson, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist
Rufous-collared Sparrow

Family Passerellidae

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Zonotrichia capensis

In Spanish: Chingolo (Comemaíz, Pirrís)

  • Resident

A crested, confiding sparrow of highland lawns, gardens and pastures.

The Rufous-collared Sparrow, known in Costa Rica as chingolo, comкомемаíz or pirrís, is very common in suburban gardens, farmland and grassy areas in the mountains, generally above about 610 m.

It is tame around people, which makes it a friendly first bird for a beginner. On a trip we build, it can turn up around a hotel pool in San José or on lawns in the highlands.

How to find it

Look in lawns, gardens and pastures in the highlands. They are unafraid of people, so they are easy to approach and photograph. Listen for a male singing from an exposed tall perch, then scan the ground nearby for birds foraging for grass seeds, fallen seeds and small insects.

How to recognise it

Adults have a gray head with two broad black crown stripes, a dark line through the eye and a bold rufous collar. The back is streaked brown, the underparts are white, and there are black patches on the sides of the chest. In Costa Rica it is the only sparrow with a noticeable crest, and the black and gray head, rufous nape collar and black bow-tie mark on the neck set it apart from other sparrows. Young birds lack the rufous collar. They have a dull buff head with brown stripes and streaked underparts.

What it sounds like

0:16

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

Behaviour and diet

In Costa Rica they forage on grass and lawns for seeds and insects, and are tame around people. A bird hops on grass looking for small worms and insects, and will even enter houses and buildings to look for food scraps on the floor. Males are easy to notice singing from an exposed tall perch. Each bird tends to have a favourite singing perch that it uses again and again.

Where it lives

It lives in any non-forested area from about 600 m up to timberline and páramo. On the Caribbean slope it is an abundant resident across the highlands from 600 to 3000 m, and it locally drops to about 400 m. It is common in the Central Valley and the mountains around it, in gardens, farmland, pastures and semi-open grassy areas. It can even appear in downtown San José.

When to see it

Pairs hold territories year round and nesting happens pretty much all year, so the species is present in every season. A Costa Rican source notes nesting peaks in some places in February to April and June to August.

Similar birds

It looks a bit like the introduced House Sparrow, but the Rufous-collared Sparrow has a crest with black stripes and a less plump shape.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica it is called comemaíz (corn eater) or pirrís. Other countries use different names, such as chingolo in Argentina, copetón in Colombia and chincol in Chile.

Status and conservation

It is a resident on the AOCR list (R), and across its huge range it is common and not considered threatened (Least Concern).

Photography tips

Because it is unafraid of people, it is easy to approach and photograph on lawns and in gardens. A male singing from an exposed perch makes a good subject, and singing peaks near dawn with a small rise again in the evening.

How we know this 24 sources, each read on the date shown
  1. The Firefly Forest read 2026-11-04https://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2007/11/07/rufous-collared-sparrow/
  2. The Nature Admirer read 2026-11-04https://thenatureadmirer.com/2017/05/16/rufous-collared-sparrow-zonotrichia-capensis/
  3. Retired in Costa Rica read 2026-11-04https://www.charliedoggett.net/2024/01/06/rufous-collared-sparrow/
  4. Ecos del Bosque read 2026-11-04https://ecosdelbosque.com/fauna/zonotrichia-capensis
  5. Eco Senderos read 2026-11-04https://ecosenderos.com/fauna/zonotrichia-capensis
  6. JungleDragon (from Wikipedia) read 2026-11-04https://www.jungledragon.com/specie/7818/rufous-collared_sparrow.html
  7. Birds of the World (Cornell) read 2026-11-04https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/rucspa1/cur/introduction
  8. GBIF (from Wikipedia) read 2026-11-04https://www.gbif.org/species/165840904
  9. Spanish Wikipedia read 2026-11-04https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zonotrichia_capensis
  10. Costa Rica Birding Trips read 2026-11-04https://www.costaricabirdingtrips.com/emberizidae/rufous-collared-sparrow-zonotrichia-capensis
  11. Naturalista Costa Rica (Wikipedia text) read 2026-11-04https://costarica.inaturalist.org/taxa/9183-Zonotrichia-capensis
  12. Diversidad y un poco de todo read 2026-11-04https://www.diversidadyunpocodetodo.com/chingolo-comun-zonotrichia-capensis/
  13. Birding Craft read 2026-11-04https://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/tag/prevosts-ground-sparrow/
  14. Birding Craft read 2026-11-04https://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/category/high-elevations/
  15. Birdviewing read 2026-11-04https://birdviewing.com/2009/12/15/rufous-collared-sparrow/
  16. Birdquest tour report 2019 read 2026-11-04https://www.birdquest-tours.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ultimate_costa_rica_tour_report_2019.pdf
  17. Nikonistas read 2026-11-04https://www.nikonistas.com/digital/foro/topic/507344-chingolo/
  18. Universidad de Costa Rica, IIARTE repository read 2026-11-04https://repositorio.iiarte.ucr.ac.cr/handle/123456789/10980
  19. Zenodo (taxon record) read 2026-11-04https://zenodo.org/records/5470284
  20. Wikipedia read 2026-11-04https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Rican_p%C3%A1ramo
  21. EarthLife read 2026-11-04https://earthlife.net/rufous-collared-sparrows/
  22. Oiseaux-Birds read 2026-11-04https://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-rufous-collared-sparrow.html
  23. Kiddle (Wikipedia-based) read 2026-11-04https://kids.kiddle.co/Rufous-collared_sparrow
  24. BirdNote read 2026-11-04https://birdnote.org/podcasts/birdnote-daily/rufous-collared-sparrow-tico-tico