White-crowned Sparrow
The five subspecies of the White-crowned Sparrow differ from each other in terms of habitat (both breeding and wintering ranges), the tendency to migrate, and behavior. Although they can, to some extent, be distinguished by subtleties of plumage and voice, the subspecies intergrade, and it is not always possible to assign an individual to a particular subspecies. All subspecies inhabit patchy bare patches of ground for foraging and dense shrubs or conifers mixed with grass for roosting and nesting. These birds often choose areas that include running water and tall trees surrounding their breeding territories.

Most subspecies are migratory, but the central California form, "Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow," resides year-round in a narrow strip of fog belt along the coast, usually nesting within a few hundred meters of the ocean. Farther north, from southern Vancouver Island to northern California, the migratory "Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrow" breeds up to 20 kilometers inland. It winters along the coast from Oregon to southern California, mixing with the resident "Nuttall's" form. The two Pacific Coast forms are virtually indistinguishable, with pale lores (the area between the eye and bill) and dull yellowish bills.

The "Eastern White-crowned Sparrow" breeds in thickets and stunted woodlands in the subarctic and alpine zones east of the Hudson Bay. Most likely to be seen east of the Mississippi River, this subspecies winters from the Great Lakes and southern New England to the Gulf Coast. Winter habitat is brush and dense weeds, and these sparrows may visit feeders during winter and when migrating. The "Mountain White-crowned Sparrow" breeds in high meadows in the Rocky Mountains and winters primarily in Mexico. These two subspecies have dark lores and pink to dark reddish pink bills.

"Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow" breeds in a wide variety of habitats including farmland, alpine meadows, shrubbery, dwarf conifer forests, and tundra edge. The tundra ranges extends from Hudson Bay west through Alaska, north to the limits of the tree line, and south through British Columbia. This sparrow winters throughout the West but is prone to wander widely and has been recorded in the East. This form has pale lores and orange bills.
White-crowned Sparrow Range Map

Individual migrants seem to follow their own schedule, perhaps forming small flocks with other species. Some seem to return to the same wintering range each year, commonly foraging in flocks with juncos or the other "crowned" sparrows, including White-throated and Golden-crowned sparrows. White-crowned Sparrows tend to favor slightly more open habitat than either of these, however, and are more skittish. In California and neighboring southwestern states, White-crowned Sparrows may be the most common wintering songbird.

Description: White-crowned Sparrows are a fairly large (approximately six to seven inches in length) sparrow with a strikingly patterned head and gray undersides. A broad white central crown stripe is bordered by black lateral crown stripes. The white supercilium (the stripe over the eye) extends just to the eye, and the lores are dark in the "Eastern" and "Mountain" forms. In the Pacific Coast and "Gambel's" subspecies, the supercilium extends all the way to the bill and the lores are pale. Below the supercilium is a thin black eye stripe. The nape and underparts are gray, somewhat paler at the throat and belly. The back is brown streaked with black. The rump and the long, slightly notched tail are brown. The wings are brown with two prominent white wing bars. The legs are yellowish.

First-winter birds have light rusty brown where the adult has black stripes, and pale tan where the adults have white stripes. The first winter plumage is usually lost in April of the first year, but "Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow" retains this plumage the entire first year.

White-crowned Sparrows may be distinguished from the other "crowned" sparrows by a combination of bill color and head pattern. Golden-crowned Sparrows have a two-toned bill, dusky above and pinkish-gray below, and a patch of yellow at the front of their central crown stripe. They lack the white supercilium of the White-crowned Sparrow. White-throated Sparrows have a white rather than gray throat, with yellow in the supercilium in front of the eye. They appear somewhat smaller and usually stand less erect.

The White-crowned Sparrow is an ornithological "white rat" because of its conspicuousness, abundance, and wide distribution. The ease with which it can be kept in captivity led to its becoming a well-studied songbird. Much of what we know about song development and geographical variation in song has been gained from studying the White-crowned Sparrow.

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