The white-crowned sparrow is common around our house in the foothills of Oregon’s coast range. We have the Pacific subspecies with a yellow beak.
IDENTIFICATION
HEAD: black and white striped
THROAT: light gray or white
BREAST: gray
BELLY: gray
WINGS: streaked brown, faint white bars
TAIL: long
BACK: streaked brown and gray
BILL: yellow
EYE: brown
ADULT
IMMATURE
I’m not 100% positive, but I believe this to be an immature sparrow molting. He/she is a bit rough looking.
A young one with and adult.
HABITAT
White-crowned sparrows prefer the edges of shrubby woodlands.
We tend to see the golden-crowned sparrow more during the winter months and the white-crowned sparrow the remainder of the year.
FEEDING
White-crowned sparrows forage on the ground searching for insects. They will also catch them mid air.
The sparrows also like seeds, whether from our feeder or wild grasses. They will also choose berries to eat.
FRIENDS & FAMILY
FAMILY: New World Sparrows
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Zonotrichia leucophrys
Flock of white-crowned sparrows bathing in our pond.
White-crowned sparrow with his cousin, the golden-crowned sparrow.
NESTING
Around here, I find their nests a foot or two above ground hiding in a shrub.
Mama sparrow sits on her eggs about 12 days before they hatch. The hatchlings leave the nest at about a week to week and a half old.
We have to watch for the little guys, as they are sometimes on the ground.
PHOTO GALLERY
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