A most welcome and delightful winter resident! Our parks and yards spring to life in the fall with the sights and sounds of the returning White-crowned Sparrows. These sprightly beauties sing out their clear whistling, cadenced tune while gathering in small flocks to forage on the ground or in low shrubs. 

Like most sparrows these active, distinctively recognizable birds are thick-billed seed eaters and eagerly partake of the bounty of fall and winter seeding vegetation and backyard feeders. The adult birds sport very sharp looking black and white crown stripes, whereas their summer offspring retain chestnut and gray crown stripes until their spring departure. Watch and listen for these lively, energetic songbirds in your own yard and nearby parks. Enjoy their sprightly presence now, before their departure on the annual long flight to northern breeding grounds, typically starting the first week of May. – Photos by James Kendall

Bird gallery

Bird of the month flyer