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Field sparrow vision: the science and the numbers

Spizella pusilla · order Passeriformes · Birds: all the numbers

Its sharpest vision resolves 7.4 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset.[6][7] Its eyes cover about 314° with 41° seen by both eyes.[10]

See it on your photoBack to How does the field sparrow see?
  • 7.4cycles per degree (sharpness)Measured
  • 314°field of viewEstimated

The field sparrow (Spizella pusilla) is a bird in the order Passeriformes. Its eyes belong to the vision type UV songbird, parrot and hummingbird: four cone types including a true ultraviolet cone, coloured oil droplets and fast motion vision. Measured in this species: sharpness, field of view, foveas and night vision. Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What the field sparrow sees: colour receptors

Field sparrow colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmField sparrow: 4 receptor peaks at 367.5, 443, 502.5, 570 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Field sparrow: 367.5, 443, 502.5, 570 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • Its sharpest vision resolves 7.4 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.
  • Its eyes cover about 314° around the head, with 41° seen by both eyes at once.
  • Activity pattern: diurnal.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the field sparrow (Spizella pusilla), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
4 receptor classes: 367.5 nm (UVS), 443 nm (SWS (blue)), 502.5 nm (MWS (green)), 570 nm (LWS (long))
receptor set of nearest measured relative Serinus canaria (same order Passeriformes)
Group default[1][2]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[1][3][4][5]
Ultraviolet
yes: at least one receptor peaks in the ultraviolet		Group default
SharpnessAcuity
7.4 cycles per degree
median of 2 anatomical-ganglion rows (method priority rule)
Measured[6][7]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[8][9]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
41°
median of 2 rows (eyes-at-rest rows preferred)
Measured[10][11]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[12][13]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[14]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[14]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[12][13]
Total field of view
314°
rule: total = 360 - blind area
Derived[10]
Blind area behind the head
46°		Measured[10]
Eye placement
lateral
frontal if binocular overlap >= 60 deg, else lateral
Derived[10][11]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
1
retinal topography
Measured (not re-verified)[15]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[16]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[16]
Fovea type
single central fovea (displaced dorso-temporally from retinal centre)		Measured (not re-verified)[15]
Night visionActivity pattern
diurnal
mode of 5 rows (of 5 rows): diurnal; not_nocturnal; photopic
Measured (not re-verified)[17][18][19][20][21]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[17][22][23][1][24][25][20][21]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[26][27]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[28]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[17][22][23][1][24][25][20][21]
Rods vs cones
cone-dominated
nocturnal -> rod-dominated; crepuscular / cathemeral / mixed -> mixed; diurnal -> cone-dominated
Derived[17][18][19][20][21]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
100 Hz
median of 7 relatives in order Passeriformes: Passer domesticus, Taeniopygia guttata, Molothrus ater, Sturnus vulgaris, Cyanistes caeruleus, Ficedula albicollis
Group default[29][30][31][32]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[30][31]

Other senses

  • magnetoreception: NOT RENDERED (no agreed visual percept) (Group default)

All birds side by side: Birds: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Longcore 2023
  2. VPOD in-vivo (MSP / single-cell) lambda… 2025
  3. Kirwan
  4. Müller et al. 2009
  5. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  6. Caves et al. 2018
  7. Caves et al. 2024
  8. Kirk et al. 2004
  9. Veilleux et al. 2014
  10. Tyrrell et al. 2017
  11. Tyrrell et al. 2017
  12. Heesy 2004
  13. Heffner et al. 1992
  14. Campbell & Green 1965
  15. Moore et al. 2017
  16. Kopania et al. 2025
  17. Anderson et al. 2017
  18. Light conditions and the evolution of…
  19. Wilman et al. 2014
  20. Schmitz et al. 2011
  21. Moura et al. 2024
  22. Borges et al. 2018
  23. Wilman et al. 2014
  24. Maor et al. 2017
  25. Jones et al. 2009
  26. Banks et al. 2015
  27. Cervino et al. 2021
  28. Guareschi et al. 2025
  29. Boström et al. 2016
  30. Healy et al. 2013
  31. Inger et al. 2014
  32. Lafitte et al. 2022

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.