Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.9–7.1 in
15–18 cm - Weight
- 1.1–1.2 oz
30–33 g
Other Names
- Bruant à couronne dorée (French)
- Garrión corona dorada (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Golden-crowned Sparrow arrives earlier and stays longer on its California wintering grounds than most any other bird species.
Habitat
Scrub
During summer, you can find Golden-crowned Sparrows in the strip of trees and shrubs near treeline in mountainous regions. They frequent areas with low thickets of willows and short conifers. In the far north of their range they also occur at tundra edges with willow, birch, alder, and huckleberry. When migrating and in winter they move to shrubby habitats of the West Coast including thickets of willow, cottonwood, and poison oak, as well as chaparral, gardens, and parks.
Food
Insects
Seeds, berries, flowers, buds, and crawling insects are common fare for Golden-crowned Sparrows. In winter the birds feed primarily on vegetable matter as they forage in lawns, gardens, orchards and fields.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–5 eggs
- Number of Broods
- 1-2 broods
- Egg Length
- 0.8–1 in
2–2.5 cm - Egg Width
- 0.6–0.7 in
1.5–1.8 cm - Incubation Period
- 11–13 days
- Nestling Period
- 9–11 days
- Egg Description
- Pale-blue to green-blue spotted with reddish-brown.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless, eyes closed, with sparse gray down, weighing about 0.13 ounce.
Nest Description
A large part of the nest consists of bark, grass, twigs, leaves, moss or ferns shaped into a thick cup. The cup is then lined with finer grasses, feathers, or hair from moose, caribou or deer. Females undertake all of the construction, and the male sings nearby as she gathers materials. The nest is 5-7 inches across on the outside; the inner cup is about 3 inches across and 2 inches deep.
Nest Placement
Ground
Golden-crowned Sparrows nest on the ground or, less commonly, in low trees or shrubs where there is still snow-cover. Ground nests are well hidden under overhanging vegetation or shrubs.
Behavior
Ground Forager
The Golden-crowned Sparrow pecks and scratches at the ground to forage, occasionally picking at foliage or jumping into the air after an item. Paired males and females forage together, typically with male following female. The species flies with fast wingbeats when crossing between patches of cover, but often drops to ground and runs for cover when alarmed. While not foraging, this sparrow can be seen perching on the tops of trees or shrubs. In nonbreeding season they can be seen in flocks of several dozen, sometimes with White-crowned Sparrows.
Conservation
Least Concern
Golden-crowned Sparrows are numerous and their numbers appear to be stable or slightly increasing, from Christmas Bird Count data. Their wintering range along the West Coast includes substantial amounts of federal land (national forests, national wildlife refuges), so wintering habitat seems fairly secure.
Credits
- Norment, C. J., P. Hendricks, and R. Santonocito. 1998. Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla). In The Birds of North America, No. 352 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.