Male & Female: A 7 inch brown sparrow with a gray breast and a bold black and white striped crown. Pinkish to yellow bill and legs.

NESTING:

Nesting begins in May in the western half of Oregon. Female builds a cup nest placed on the ground or in a small tree or shrub. It is a bulky nest of grasses, twigs, plant stems, lined with finer grasses, hair, and feathers. Female incubates 3-5 russet marked pale blue or green eggs. Males take most of the responsibility of raising the young while females start second broods. Only 9-12 days separate broods.

FEEDING:

The White-crowned Sparrow feeds on the ground, scratching back leaf debris with both feet as it looks for seeds and insects. Comes to ground feeders eating both millet and sunflower seed.

RECOMMENDED FEED:

Rogue Select: ground feeder mix and Rogue Deluxe: all-purpose mix. Shop Wild Bird Food.

RECOMMENDED FEEDERS:

Any ground or platform feeder. Shop Wild Bird Feeders.

HABITAT:

A varied habitat includes wet meadows, shrubby borders, woods, gardens, and parks. During breeding season: shrubby areas, especially along the coast and in the mountains. In migration and winter: brushy areas, sometimes residential ones.

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS:

It is one of the most common of the wintering sparrows, seen in flocks of 10-20 birds which often stay in the same area for many weeks. The White-crown is one of North America’s most studied sparrows. It has given scientists insight into avian speciation and the geographic variation in song dialects. Their voice is a high seet with crisp pink calls.

COMPARE TO:

The Golden-crowned Sparrow has a central yellow crown stripe and grayish bill, no white on head. The White-throated Sparrow has a white or tan throat patch, yellow spot between eyes and bill, with a blackish bill.

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