Golden-crowned Sparrow

Here's another of Victoria's sparrows, a Golden-crowned Sparrow. This one was photographed at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary in 2014.

Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)

Here's a little bird I often see at our backyard feeder but this one was photographed at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary in Saanich. It is a Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla), so-called because of that bright yellow stripe on his head. That stripe is not just for decoration - how big and bright it is marks this bird's place in the flock hierarchy.

Golden Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)

While I'm on a bird jag (see last week's posts) I might as well add another of what I call "those little brown birds" - those hard-to-identify little birds that flutter and forage near the outside tables at Starbucks and such places, finding food amongst the cookie crumbs. This one is more identifiable than most with its distinctive yellow and black cap, the feature that gives this bird its name, the Golden Crowned Sparrow (Zonitrichia atricapilla).