Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Species Profile: White-crowned Sparrow

Species Name: White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Description: Length: 7 inches. A medium-sized sparrow. Adults have distinctive bold black and white stripes on crown and above eyes. The medium-sized bill ranges from pink to orange to yellowish. Breast and neck pale grayish to gray-brown. Throat white. Cheeks plain. Back streaked brown on tan. White stripe above eye of adult extends to white lores on gambelii race; lores black on leucophrys race; pale gray on nutalli.

Immature birds are more buffy brown than adults. Head stripes are brown or tan.

Often shows crest (head peaked at rear).

Range: Breeds across northern Canada, and in mountains of western United States. Winters in lower half of the Lower 48 States except for the extreme southeastern states and along the Appalachians of the mid Atlantic states. Abundant in winter in the west; uncommon to rare in the east.

Breeding Bird Survey Range Map
Christmas Bird Count Distribution Map

Behavior: Feeds on ground; often heard scratching in leaf litter under bushes. Sits near top of bush on prominent branches to catch morning sun. Wings are surprisingly noisy in short flights. Often found in large flocks of mixed sparrow species in weedy fields; often the predominant sparrow in such flocks in the west. In the east found in small numbers in larger flocks of the related White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis).

Related or Similar Species: Closely related to White-throated Sparrow, and often found with them in mixed flocks in winter. Other Zonotrichia sparrows are: Harris' (Z. querula) of the central plains and the Golden-crowned Sparrow (Z. atricapilla) of the Pacific coast. In mixed winter flocks Golden-crowned Sparrow can be overlooked as it closely resembles the immature White-crowned Sparrow.

Identification: Size and shape make the White-crowned Sparrow distinctive and easy to identify in most encounters. Adults are distinctive with boldly striped crown; immatures look like brown versions of adults and are often easy to tell from the crested look. Winter birds usually vocalize and can be located and identified readily after learning the winter calls. White-throated Sparrows look more rounded and have more distinct marking by the throat, plus yellow lores. Winter Golden-crowned Sparrows usually show some yellow on crown, plus bicolored bill.

Advice on Finding and Photographing: Look for flocks of sparrows in brushy areas in winter fields. Work from car window along backroads with brushy edges. Sit quietly near bushes and watch for birds feeding on the ground to come into the open. Take advantage of birds sunny in early morning cold.

References:

• A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of The Sparrows of the United States and Canada, James D. Rising & David D. Beadle, Academic Press, 1996.
  
• Sparrows of the United States and Canada, The Photographic Guide, David Beadle & James Rising, Academic Press, 2002.
  
• Sparrows and Buntings, A Guide to the Sparrows and Buntings of North America and the World; Clive Byers, Jon Curson, and Urban Olsson, Houghton Mifflin, 1995.

Images 

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White-crowned Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 4
White-crowned Sparrow 12
White-crowned Sparrow 15