How to Identify aGolden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapilla · 5.9–7.1 in (15–18 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Grayish-brown with a black crown split by a dull yellow-gold central stripe, a plain gray face and a dusky bill. Sexes look alike.
Female
Identical to the male, with a less crisply defined crown pattern.
Male photo: Alejandro Erickson / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0 · Second photo: Jean / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0
Field marks
- Dull gold crown stripe bordered in black
- Plain gray unstreaked face and chest
- Dusky gray bill
- Large and long-tailed for a sparrow
Similar species
What it sounds like
Three clear descending whistles, often written "oh dear me", plaintive and unmistakable.
Behaviour that gives it away
Winter flocks return to the same small patch of ground year after year, often the same garden hedge.
Habitat & range
Brushy thickets, chaparral, gardens and hedgerows along the West Coast in winter.
When you'll see it
A winter visitor in western North America.
What it eats
Seeds, buds and fruit, plus insects in summer.
Did you know?
Its mournful three-note whistle was known to Klondike gold miners as the "no gold here" bird.
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