White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys

White-crowned Sparrow Range Map

Description: The White-crowned Sparrow is a widespread species that covers nearly all of North America. They migrate from the southern United States and northern Mexico all the way up through Canada and into Alaska. These birds, males and females, can be easily identified in the field by the striking black and white stripes on their head. There are two subspecies of White-crowned Sparrow: The Mountain White-crowned Sparrow and the Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow. The only way one can tell these two subspecies apart is by looking at the lores, the space between the eyes and the bill of the bird. Mountain WCS (below, left) have dark, black-ish lores whereas Gambel's WCS (below, right) have lightly-colored gray lores.

 

Above four photos by K. Clare, Spring 2017.