WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW
Article By Mary Nelesen
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Hear the White-crowned Sparrow sing!
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I have been watching daily for the return of the
White-crowned Sparrows that frequent our yard each
spring. They typically spend several days hopping and
scratching on the ground below the bird feeders to
expose insects and seeds to feed on before heading to
higher elevations to breed.
This handsome sparrow nests or winters over much of the
continent but is most abundant in the West. It is easily
identified by its high puffy crown marked with bold
black and white head stripes, and by its orange-pink
bill, gray face, gray under parts, streaked brown back
with two white wing bars. It is similar to the
White-throated Sparrow which also has black and white
head stripes, but unlike the White-crowned Sparrow, the
White-throated Sparrow has yellow in front of and above
the eye.
The White-crowned Sparrow can be found nesting on the
ground in moss or grass, under shrubs or dwarf trees, or
in small conifer, birch or willow trees, rarely above 30
feet up in a tree. The nest is built by the female and
is a bulky cup of twigs, grasses, weeds and lined with
fine grasses, hairs of deer and other animals. The
finished nest is 5 inches across and 2 inches deep, and
takes the female 2-9 days to complete. The male
White-crowned Sparrow does not perform courtship
feeding, but rather waits until the female initiates
courtship. These birds are almost always monogamous.
The nesting period is between April and August with 3-5
pale blue or green eggs with brown or reddish spots. The
female incubates the eggs. Incubation lasts about 12
days, throughout which the female is responsible for
turning the eggs, as well as leaving during the day to
forage for herself. The male contributes to feeding the
young once they have hatched for up to 5 days; then his
contribution begins to decrease. Most young fledge by
the tenth day and reach adult weight by day 30–35. Young
birds move very little for the first few days after they
leave the nest and don’t typically learn to fly until a
week or so later.
According to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, a
young male White-crowned Sparrow learns the basics of
the song it will sing as an adult during the first two
or three months of life. He learns from the song
environment of his neighborhood rather than directly
from his father. Males on the edge of two dialects may
be bilingual and able to sing both dialects. Their song
is a mix of bright whistles, slurs and churring trills.
They will share their territories with Fox Sparrows, but
chase Chipping Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos until they
leave.
In Flathead Valley, White-crowned Sparrows sing on the
Danny On trail and nest near the summit of Big Mountain.
I like to imagine that the White-crowned Sparrows
foraging under my feeders are headed for a breeding site
somewhere near Logan Pass…one of the most beautiful
spots in Glacier National Park. I will be on the lookout
for them this summer as I hike along those high alpine
meadows.
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