Stats

Lifespan: 1-13 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Flock
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

The White-crowned Sparrow is instantly recognized by its bold black-and-white striped crown, a pattern visible even in juveniles. Young birds learn the local song dialect of whichever colony they hatch into and retain it for life — meaning populations separated by just a few miles can sound distinctly different.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small clutch of speckled eggs is incubated in a cup nest, turned and kept warm by the parent.
2.
hatchling
A pink, blind hatchling is fed by its parents in the nest, gaping its bill at every visit.
3.
juvenile
A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest, learning to fly and to forage close to its parents.
4.
adult
Fully grown with adult plumage and song.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passerellidae
Genus: Zonotrichia
Species: Zonotrichia leucophrys