By Dianna Moore
Grays Harbor Audubon
It must be the holiday season causing me to grow a bit sentimental because this too is one of my favorite birds on the Harbor, much like last columns Spotted Towhee. The two are usually found sharing the same environment so if you see one you may see the other.
General Description: Golden-crowned Sparrows can be seen around our yards and in parks and even clear-cuts, mostly on the ground rooting through leaf litter and grasses in the winter on the coast. They are a large sparrow with a long tail and an overall brownish-gray streaky look with brightly patterned wings, two white wing-bars, a golden crown extending back to the nape, brighter in breeding plumage than winter colors and black stripes on either side of the golden crown. Both sexes are 5.9 to 7.1 inches long and weigh 1.1 to 1.2 ounces each.
Habitat: These sparrows prefer the edges of lawns where the bushes and trees meet the grass, so expect to see them on the ground around your shrubbery and under your feeders. They seem to prefer damper and less open territory, perfect match for the Harbor. In the summer they head north to nest in the sub-alpine zone of alders, willow and tundra.
Behavior: Golden-crowned Sparrows feed on the ground or in low brush. In migration and winter they can be found feeding on the ground in the open in mixed flocks containing towhees, White-crowned Sparrows and finches and retreat to the bushes when disturbed. They often perch higher to deliver their mournful-sounding song.
Diet: During the fall and winter they eat seeds of grasses and weeds and frequent the areas under feeders. They will also eat new shoots, berries, flowers and buds. During the summer they add insects, especially to feed the young.
Nesting: The male attracts a mate by singing on territory, and they forage together before the nestbuilding stage. It is thought the female builds the nest. If there is still snow on the ground the nest will be in a low branch, if not the nest will probably be built right on the ground but hidden or protected by overhanging branches or grasses. It is a bulky cup of twigs, grass, leaves, moss and bark and lined with fine grass, hair and feathers. The female incubates three to five eggs for 11 to 13 days while the male brings food. The young leave the nest at three to five days while both parents continue to care for them a while longer.
Migration: The entire population migrates within North America, with the birds arriving in western Washington, Oregon, and California for overwintering mid-September through October and returning to the breeding grounds in April or May.
Conservation Status: Because its far-northern breeding grounds are mostly protected in national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges in the U.S. and Canada, this bird has been gaining in numbers over the past 30 to 50 years. I like to think all of us who have feeders are also helping to assure the future of this bird.
When and Where to Find on Grays Harbor: The only time you probably won’t see one of these birds is in June, July, and August, so keep an eye on the ground under you feeders or at the edges of your lawn or flower beds. They are fairly easy to spot and lots of fun to watch.
