Facts about White-crowned Sparrow
- 06
Across their range, White-crowned Sparrows exhibit two distinct geographic populations with different migration strategies, including a non-migratory year-round resident population in coastal California.
- 05
White-crowned Sparrows have a lifespan of up to 13 years in the wild, with the oldest recorded individual banded in California living at least 13 years and 4 months.
- 04
Populations breeding in the Sierra Nevada mountains migrate over 1,500 miles to wintering grounds in Mexico and the southwestern United States each year.
- 03
Male White-crowned Sparrows can learn songs from tutors during a critical period between 10 to 50 days old, similar to human language acquisition in infants.
- 02
The White-crowned Sparrow's distinctive black and white striped crown pattern takes approximately 10 months to fully develop in young birds.
- 01
During spring migration, White-crowned Sparrows can add up to 30 percent of their body weight in fat reserves to fuel their northward journey.