Golden-crowned Sparrow

Overview

The golden-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) is a large New World sparrow native to the western part of North America. It is closely related to the white-crowned sparrow and is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• Measures 15–18 cm in length with a wingspan of 24.75 cm, making it fairly large for an American sparrow.
• Features a relatively long, square-tipped tail, a slightly peaked crown, and two white wing bars.
• In breeding plumage, displays a broad yellow central crown stripe that fades to pale grey towards the back of the head.
• Has a distinctive three-note descending whistle, often described as "oh-dear-me", and a sharp call note transcribed as tsew.

Habitat

Common along the western edge of North America, breeding from north-central Alaska and central Yukon south to Washington state. It winters from southern coastal Alaska to northern Baja California, generally found in brushy areas and dense shrubs, particularly chaparral.

Diet

Forages on the ground by pecking and scratching, though it occasionally leaps for insects. Its diet consists primarily of plant materials such as seeds, berries, flowers, and buds, with the occasional crawling insect.

Did you know?

The bird's black and gold head stripes signal social status within wintering flocks, serving as better predictors of dominance than the bird's size or sex to reduce confrontations.