Bell's Sparrow
Bell's Sparrow has declined: down 27% on the route-weighted index since 1971.
About the Bell's Sparrow
The Bell's Sparrow (Artemisiospiza belli) is a North American member of the New World Sparrows (Passerellidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the arid-land birds.
- Size
- 4.5–7.5 in long (12–19 cm) — a small songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Deserts, dry scrub and brushland of the Southwest.
- Diet
- Seeds, insects and cactus fruit of arid-land plants.
- Range
- Recorded on 71 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 2 states, most concentrated in the Coastal California.
- Family
- Passerellidae · Arid-land birds
Notable Bell's Sparrow Trends
No notable trend signals for Bell's Sparrow. See the full index history below.
Bell's Sparrow Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Bell's Sparrow is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.03 (95% range 0.00–0.06). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±70.4%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.06 |
| 2026 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.06 |
| 2027 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.06 |
| 2028 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.06 |
| 2029 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.06 |
Where the Bell's Sparrow Is Detected
BBS routes recording Bell's Sparrow, sized by most recent count.
Bell's Sparrow Population Trend by State
| California | -21% | 1971 | 70 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Bell's Sparrow Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +4% | 1975 | 3 |
| Coastal California | -44% | 1971 | 51 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +23% | 1972 | 16 |
Bell's Sparrow Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 27% since 1971.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.