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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Zonotrichia]] | [[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Zonotrichia]] | ||
Revision as of 11:39, 24 July 2017
- Zonotrichia leucophrys
Identification
14–17 cm (5½-6¾ in)
Black and white stripes on their head, a grey face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are grey. Their bill is pink or yellow.
Details of the head pattern differ between subspecies; see Taxonomy section below.
Distribution
Breeds from Alaska and western Canada east to Labrador and northern Quebec. In western North America breeds south to central California and the mountains of northern Arizona and New Mexico. Winters in the southern and central United States (on the Atlantic coast as far north as Pennsylvania and Long Island) and in northern Mexico.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are five recognized subspecies[1]:
- Z. l. leucophrys:
- Central and eastern Canada to Newfoundland; winters to south-eastern US, Cuba, Jamaica
- Z. l. oriantha:
- Mountains of south-western Canada to south-western US; winters to southern Baja and central Mexico
- Z. l. gambelii:
- North Alaska and northern Yukon to south-central Canada; winters to northern Mexico
- Z. l. nuttalli:
- Coastal central California (Mendocino Co. to Santa Barbara Co.)
- Z. l. pugetensis:
- Coastal south-western British Columbia to north-western California; winters to south-western California
The latter three subspecies, sometimes grouped for identification purposes as "Gambel's White-crown," are distinguished by their white lores and orange to yellow bill. (Nominate and oriantha share black lores and pink bill.)
Habitat
Winters in hedgerows and densely vegetated field edges, roadsides and streambanks, woodland and forest edges. In California it is an abundant nester in coastal scrub, but winters in a wide range of habitats, including dry deserts, as for instance in the Kelso Valley of Kern County.
Behaviour
Diet
They forage on the ground and in low vegetation, for beetles, bugs, seeds and plant material. They sometimes make short flights to catch flying insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2016)
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-crowned Sparrow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-crowned_Sparrow
