10,000 Birds

Golden-crowned Sparrows Zonotrichia atricapilla
British Columbia and California

The Golden-crowned Sparrow is a western species that largely replaces the White-crowned Sparrow along the Pacific Coast and adjacent mountain areas. Golden-crowned Sparrows breed in alpine and tundra areas from Alaska to extreme northwest Washington. They frequent alder and willow thickets, or dwarf conifers, often above or beyond the tree line as long as there are sufficient numbers of small bushes and scrub. The song of three, clear, whistled descending notes, (three blind mice or oh dear me) is sung by males from exposed perches.

Autumn migration begins in late July as birds move to their wintering range west of the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada from southwestern Alaska to Baja California. They are most common in winter along the coast from Oregon to southern California, and many of these birds inhabit the national forests and wildlife refuges of central and northern California. Typical winter habitats are dry woodlands, brush and thickets, and the margins of cultivated fields. Golden-crowned Sparrows flock with other species, especially White-crowned Sparrows. Although the overlap is considerable in these two species’ wintering habitats, Golden-crowned Sparrows tend to inhabit moister and denser areas than White-crowned Sparrows; Golden-crowned Sparrows are also warier and flush more easily.

Their specific scientific name atricapilla, incidentally, translates as “black-headed” and from a distance this particular species does indeed look like a plain, large “black-capped” sparrow rather than particularly “golden-crowned”…

(Information adapted from Golden-crowned Sparrow page of the Cornell University website.)

 

Golden-crowned Sparrow, California, 05 March 2005

 

 

 

 

 

Golden-crowned Sparrows, Vancouver, British Columbia, 02 May 2006

All photos copyright Charlie Moores