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Sparrows
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Length: 5.5 inches
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Conical bill
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Brown crown
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Grayish face and supercilium
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Brown streak extends behind eye
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Thick malar streak
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Brown back with darker streaks
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Brown wings with some rust
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Underparts white with heavy dark streaks and central
breast spot
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Long, brown, rounded tail
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Sexes similar
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Juvenile (Summer) similar to adult but buffier
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Considerable variation in plumage across its range from
dark to rusty upperparts and in bill size and shape.
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Golden-crowned Sparrows consume an almost entirely vegetarian diet
while on their wintering range. They eat buds and flowers, to the
extent that they may exact a toll on California gardens. They are
especially fond of sprouted seeds, including those of garden vegetables.
Little is known of their breeding biology, but it is thought that
insects make up a large percentage of their summer diet and that nestlings
are fed nearly 100 percent insects.The Golden-crowned Sparrow, like
other "crowned" sparrows—the White-crowned (Z. leucophrys)
and the White-throated (Z. albicollis) sparrow—is a largish, relatively
long-tailed sparrow with a striking head pattern. It 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. |
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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Part
I
November
19, 2004