From Opus

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Photo by Muskrat.
Photo taken: Columbia County, northeastern Pennsylvania, USA.
Nominate Z. l. leucophrys.

Photo by digishooter.
Photo taken: Wofford Heights, Kern County, California, USA.
One of the western subspecies.

[edit] Identification

18 cm. 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Taxonomy

There are five recognized subspecies: oriantha of the American Rockies, the nominate in eastern Arctic Canada, gambellii west from Manitoba to Alaska and British Columbia, pugetensis along the northwest coast from Vancouver Island, British Columbia to northwest California, and nuttalli on the central California coast. 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.)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Behaviour

They forage on the ground or in low vegetation, sometimes making short flights to catch flying insects. The diet includes seeds, other plant parts and insects.

[edit] External Links