FINCHES 



35 



WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW 



Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys ( ./. A', l',trstcr) 



A. (X V Xiiiiil.or ^54 See Color I'latc Rj 



Other Name. — White-crown. 



General Description. — LeiiRth. 6'4 inches. IMum- 

 agc. gray, light liclcnv, and dark with streaks nf hnnvn 

 above. Bill, small, compressed-conical ; w-ings. long 

 and pointed: tail, about the length of wing, rounded or 

 slightly double rounded. 



Color. — Adults: Crown, with tz^u-i )<r,Hul Intrrnl 

 bands of dccf black, iiiclosiun tt i rii/rr i);;i- n/ i,7)(7.' or 

 grayish white of appro.ximately equal width: black of 

 forehead extending backward to the front angle of the 

 eye: a white or grayish-white stripe over eye extending 

 forward above the eye nearly or quite as far as its 

 front angle; hindneck, sides of neck, and ear region, 

 plain gray; liack and shoulders, light gray or brownish- 

 gray broadly streaked with chestnut-brown or vandyke- 

 brown ; rump and uiiper tail-coverts plain hair-brown ; 

 tail, dark hair-brown with paler edgings ; middle and 

 .greater win,a;-coverts, dusky grayish-brown, edged witli 

 pale hair-brown and tii)ped with white, forming two dis- 

 tinct bands ; inner wing-quills dusky, margined ter- 

 minally with whitish, this passing into chestnut-brown 

 toward basal portion of outer webs ; primaries, dusky 

 hair-brown narrowly edged with paler; sides of head 

 and neck and chest uniform rather light gray, fading 



into nearly wdiite on tliroat. chin, and ahdonien ; sides 

 and flanks, pale bulTy-brown ; the under tail-coverts 

 pale buffy or buffy-whitish ; iris, brown. 



Nest and Eggs. — Ne.st : Commonly placed on the 

 ground, in dry, high mountain meadows or clearings, 

 sometimes in low Inishes ; constructed of small twigs, 

 .grasses and rootlets, lined with fine .gra'-s .uid hair. 

 Eggs: 3 to 3. pale greenish bhie to dull pak brownish 

 white, specked and spoiled with cliestnnt. luaviest at 

 large end. 



Distribution. — More eastern I'.rnish ]n-ovinces and 

 .greater part of United Slates; breeding from N'ermont, 

 Province of Quel)ec, northeastern Minnesota (?). etc., 

 northward to west side of Hudson Bay and over 

 peninsula of I.alirador to southern Greenland, and 

 throughout tlie higli mountain districts of the western 

 United States, from tlie main Rocky Mountain ranges 

 to the Sierra Nevada, including the intermediate 

 Uinta and Wasatch ranges ; breeding southward to 

 New Mexico and Arizona, northward to northern Cali- 

 fornia ; mi.gratin.g southward over greater part of 

 eastern United .States, over Mexican plateau and 

 throughout peninsula of Lower California. 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (■ nat. sizs) 

 His song has a singular sweetness, all its own 



