Zonotrichia leucophrys
The White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) is a striking medium-sized passerine, measuring approximately 15-18 cm (6-7 inches) in length, with a wingspan of 23-28 cm (9-11 inches) and weighing 25-35 grams. Its most distinctive field mark is the boldly striped crown, featuring alternating black and white (or sometimes black and tan in immatures) stripes, which gives the species its common name. Adults typically exhibit a clean gray face, throat, and breast, contrasting with a buffy-bro...
Found in a variety of open or semi-open habitats, including forest edges, tundra, shrublands, riparian corridors, and suburban gardens, typically at low to mid-elevations.
Their diet consists mainly of seeds and grains, particularly during winter, supplemented with insects and other arthropods, especially caterpillars, during the breeding season. They primarily forage on the ground, but will occasionally glean from low vegetation or catch insects in flight.
White-crowned Sparrows are primarily diurnal, often seen foraging on the ground with a distinctive two-footed backward hop, scratching through leaf litter for food. During the breeding season, males establish and vigorously defend territories through persistent singing, often from elevated perche...
The White-crowned Sparrow boasts an extensive North American distribution, breeding across Alaska, much of Canada, and the western mountainous regions of the United States, extending south to parts of California and the Rockies. Breeding habitats range from arctic and subarctic tundra to high-ele...
Least Concern
- White-crowned Sparrows are famous for their distinct song dialects, where populations in different geographic areas sing slightly different versions of their species-specific song. Young birds learn these dialects from their fathers or neighbors. - This species has been extensively studied in n...