Golden-crowned Sparrow

The Golden-crowned Sparrow is a large sparrow of western North America and is one of the least known songbirds particularly on its northern breeding range. It breeds in the tundra and shrublands of British Columbia and Alaska and winters in the lowlands along the Pacific coast.

Adult Male (spring/summer)

Yellow forecrown and crown, changing to white approximately halfway along the crown with black supraloral and supercilium. Black eye; cheek gray, nape gray with faint brown streaking; rufous mantle with black stripes; gray rump, uppertail coverts and tail. Gray chin; dull gray belly, rufous flanks and white undertail coverts. Rufous wings with black streaking and two white wing bars. The bill is bicoloured and conical. Tail long.

Adult Female (spring/summer)

Sexes are similar.

Juvenile

Crown is weakly defined; chin and belly buffy with brown streaks and white undertail coverts; upper parts rufous with black stripes. Wing bars are inconspicuous.

General:

Large sparrow with stout conical bill. Length: 15-18cm. Wing: 24-25cm. Weight: 29grams.

Behaviour:

The Golden-crowned Sparrow can be found foraging on the ground or low in vegetation feeding on seeds and insects. In winter they can be found in large flocks or in large mixed flocks with White-crowned Sparrows. Their slow mournful song can be heard as the bird is perched high in shrubs or trees and low in dense vegetation.

Habitat:

During breeding season it is found low in shrubby areas in spruce forests, boreal scrubs and dwarf willows. They are seen more frequently during migration and winters of forest edges, shrubs, chaparral and in backyards at and under feeders.

Information:

The oldest Golden-crowned Sparrow was at least 10 years, 6 months old. The nest is often built on the ground, disguised with grasses, ferns and overhanging branches. It is a thick cup of mixed vegetation lined with finer materials. 1-2 broods are raised. Clutch size is 3-5 pale blue to greenish blue speckled with pale gray and reddish brown eggs.

Similar species:

White-crowned sparrow, White-throated sparrow.

Conservation Status:

Listed as Least Concern.

The Golden-crowned Sparrow is a winter resident of Colony Farm. Subsequently, captures begin in fall and peak in winter. Smaller capture rates occur in spring as birds migrate to higher and/or more northerly habitats.

Molt Summary:

PF: HY partial; PB: AHY complete; PA partial
Preformative molt usually includes all med and gr covs, but no terts or rects.

Beware of pseudolimits (colour contrasts that simulate a molt limit) between richer brown tertials and inner gr covs, and the duller brown middle ss (s4 – s6) and gr covs, which causes the inner feathers to appear more recently replaced.

1st PA includes 2 – 6 inner gr covs, 2 – 3 terts, and often 1 – 2 central rects (r1)
Adult PA includes 2 – 4 inner gr covs, 1 – 3 terts, and occasionally 1 – 2 central rects (r1)

This HY in October has replaced all median and greater coverts and carpal covert, the molt limit indicated with the red arrows between the replaced outer covert and inner primary covert and replaced greater alula covert (A1) and lower alula feather (A2).

Notice the narrow and tapered outer primary coverts with little or no pale edging contrasting with the replaced slightly fresher greater coverts.

Also notice the pseudolimit mentioned above between the richer brown tertials and inner greater coverts (green arrow) that give the appearance of replaced feathers.

The tail of the HY bird above bird shows thin, tapered and already abraded retained juvenal outer rectrices.

This SY in February is showing molt limits from its preformative molt following the breeding season last year when it replaced all median and greater coverts (red arrows). Notice again the very narrow, tapered retained primary coverts with no pale edging contrasting with the replaced greater coverts and the contrast between the replaced greater alula covert (A1) and retained lower alula feather (small red arrow).

The blue arrows point to molt limits from the prealternate molt in the late winter / early spring when this bird replaced the 4 innermost greater coverts and innermost tertials S9 (blue arrows).

SY birds that have prealternate molts therefore show 3 generations of feathers: retained juvenal, formative from the preformative molt following the breeding season last year (when they were HY birds); and first alternate from the first prealternate molt in the late winter / early spring.

The tail of the same SY bird above, again shows thin, tapered and by now very abraded retained juvenal outer rectrices.