78 BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA AFFECTING FRUIT INDUSTRY. 



GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. 



(Zonotrichia coronata.) 



The golden-crowned sparrow arrives in California from the north 

 in September, and departs for its summer residence in April. In 

 winter it spreads over the country, lives wherever food can be obtained, 

 except perhaps in the forest, and may often be seen in the garden 

 among the fruit trees or in the rose bushes. It is also found in lonely 

 canyons or on the cattle ranges in the hills. In general appearance 

 and in food habits it does not differ essentially from the white-crown. 

 For the determination of its food 184 stomachs were available, taken 

 from October to April, inclusive. The animal food amounts to 0.9 

 percent, vegetable to 99.1. 



Animal food. — The animal food consists of insects, and is pretty 

 well distributed among the various orders. No great quantity was 

 found in any one stomach, and it is eaten so rarely and in such small 

 quantities that the wonder is that it is eaten at all. Singularly 

 enough two worker honeybees were found in one stomach. It is 

 evident that the golden-crown does not search for insects, and takes 

 only those that come in its way. 



Vegetable food. — The vegetable food consists of fruit, buds and 

 flowers, grain, and some miscellaneous matter. Fruit can not be a 

 prominent item in the food of this sparrow, owing to the time of year 

 it spends in California. One stomach taken in March contained a 

 little fruit pulp, probably left over from the previous season. Fruit 

 was found also in 2 stomachs taken in October and in 2 taken in 

 November. In one it consisted of elderberries; in one, of grape; in 

 another, it was thought to be apple; while in the fourth, it was 

 unidentifiable. In all, it amounts to a little more than 1 percent 

 of the food. Remains of buds and flowers were found in stomachs 

 taken in every month of the bird's stay in the State, except October 

 and November, when buds are very small. They were found in 56 

 stomachs; the average for the season is 29.5 percent, and in March 

 it rises to nearly 78 percent. Where this bird is abundant, it may do 

 mischief if it visits the orchards. In the stomach of no other species 

 yet examined has been found so much of this kind of food, which 

 makes it probable that much of the bud and flower eating imputed 

 to the linnet and white-crown is really done by the golden-crown. 



Grain was eaten during every month of the bird's stay in the State, 

 but as none of these was a harvest month, little damage was done. 

 March, the sowing month, showed but little more than 5 percent, 

 while over 66 percent was eaten in January. The average for the 

 season was nearly 26 percent. It was found in 23 stomachs, of 

 which 12 contained oats; 6, wheat; 2, barley; 2, corn; and 1, doubtful. 



