Appearance
Adults have black and white stripes on their head, a gray face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are gray. Their bill is pink or yellow. They are similar in appearance to the white-throated sparrow, but do not have the white throat markings or yellow lores.Measurements:
⤷ Length: 5.9-6.3 in
⤷ Weight: 0.9-1.0 oz
⤷ Wingspan: 8.3-9.4 in
Naming
The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name "Zonotrichia" is from Ancient Greek and. The species name "leucophrys" is from and.There are five currently recognized subspecies of white-crowned sparrow, varying in breeding distribution migratory route. Birds of the subspecies "nuttalli" are permanent residents in California, while birds of the subspecies "gambelli" may migrate as far as the Arctic Circle during the summer breeding season. Northern birds migrate to the southern United States and northern Mexico.
Distribution
Their breeding habitat is brushy areas across northern Canada and the western United States.The white-crowned sparrow is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. It has been sighted in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Norway. In 2008 a white-crowned sparrow was spotted in Cley next the Sea in Norfolk, England. To commemorate the event an image of the bird was included in a window at St Margaret's Church.
Behavior
These birds forage on the ground or in low vegetation, but sometimes make short flights to catch flying insects. They mainly eat seeds, other plant parts and insects. In winter, they often forage in flocks.White-crowned sparrows nest either low in bushes or on the ground under shrubs and lay three to five brown-marked gray or greenish-blue eggs.
The white-crowned sparrow is known for its unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, which allows it to stay half-awake for up to two weeks during migration. This effect has been studied for possible human alertness applications in shift work and truck driving.
Recent studies by ornithologists including Elizabeth Derryberry have shown that white-crowned sparrow songs are affected by human activity and noise.
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