Bicycle helmet bird

White-crowned Sparrow.  Photo by Karl Madsen

White-crowned Sparrow? White-throated Sparrow?

When we lived in BC, we were treated every spring to a flotilla of White-crowned Sparrows passing through the Valley. Since we moved to Naicam, we have had White-throated Sparrows stop by our feeder on their way North. This spring, however, we were treated to both species at the same time scrounging for breakfast in our front yard.

White-crowned Sparrow - if  you're a long-time reader
of my blog, you will have seen this photo before - Dec. 29/10.

It was May 6th that I resumed my kitchen watch after getting out of the hospital and in my bird diary, I noted Purple Finches, Harris Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows and also a Robin in the birch tree. On May 7, I added Pine Siskins, Brewer's Blackbirds, Juncoes, Song Sparrows and yikes, White-crowned Sparrows. White-crowned? I looked again. No, White-throated. But wait, yes, White-crowned as well.

I was excited to see both species side by side to compare them. The White-crowned have puffier heads that the White-throated. This really does make them look like they are wearing bicycle helmets - that's Karl's nickname for them.
The White-throated by a distinctive brilliant white bib under their beak and bright yellow lores - that's the short eyebrow. Their centre white stripe is much narrower than the middle stripe on the crown of the White-crowned! And the WC's beak is pinkier than the WT's.

So now when you see a sparrow with white and black sripes on his head, you will now who he is!