Bird name:

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia atricapilla

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Code 4

GCSP

Code 6

ZONATR

ITIS

179461

Breeding Location:

Forest edge, Bushes, shrubs, and thickets, Mountains

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Fairly common

Egg Color:

Creamy white to pale blue with brown blotches

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

11 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Sticks, rootlets, moss, grass, leaves, and bark., Lined with feathers, grass, and mammal hair.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Golden-crowned Sparrow: Large sparrow with brown-streaked upperparts and plain gray breast. Yellow crown is bordered by a wide black cap; cheek and collar are black. Bill is gray. Wings are brown with two white bars. Sexes are similar. Winter adult is duller and shows a reduced black cap and fine black eye stripe. Juvenile has heavily streaked white underparts and a dull yellow crown faintly bordered with brown.

Range and Habitat

Golden-crowned Sparrow: Breeds from western Alaska south to northwestern Washington. Spends winters from Kodiak Island and coastal Alaska south to Baja California. Preferred habitats include alpine meadows and coniferous forest clearings; winters in coastal brushlands and chaparral.

Breeding and Nesting

Golden-crowned Sparrow: Three to five creamy white to pale blue eggs with brown blotches are laid in a neat nest cup well hidden in a dense weed clump or bush. Incubation ranges from 11 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Golden-crowned Sparrow: Diet consists of seeds, insects, flowers, buds, small seedlings, fruits, and berries; forages on the ground and in low foliage.

Readily Eats

Sunflower Seed, Commercial Mixed Bird Seed

Vocalization

Golden-crowned Sparrow: Song consists of three descending, plaintive notes "oh, dear me." Calls are "tseet" and "chink."

Similar Species

Golden-crowned Sparrow: Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow has a pink to orange bill, brown striped head, and a buff back with rufous streaks. House Sparrow has a heavier bill, shorter tail, and is paler brown overall.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Collar

Similar to the upper part of the human neck, located at the back of the crown.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America