Saturday, April 12, 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.
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3 comments:

  1. Dean LewisApril 12, 2014 at 11:54 AM

    Beautiful. Never seen this guy before. Really remarkable that coloured top.
    The White-crowned is a regular visitor to the Laurel trees along the causeway and has a beautiful song that I wouldn't expect from a sparrow. Posting an audio web-link to it here and hopefully it connects:

    http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?sortBy=has+audio&curFamilyID=208&curGroupID=1&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=38

    ReplyDelete
  2. William KendallApril 12, 2014 at 1:49 PM

    It is a beautiful bird. That yellow gives it such distinction.

    ReplyDelete
  3. StephanieApril 12, 2014 at 5:18 PM

    Lovely textures in the feathers.

    ReplyDelete

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