White-Crowned Sparrow
554. Zonotrichia leucophrys. 7 inches
Adults with a white crown bordered by black, the black covering the lores or space before the eye (the sub-species found west of the Rockies have the lores white).
We know these birds in the U. S., except in mountain ranges or in the extreme northern parts, only as migrants, they then being found in brushy woodlots or along roadsides. In the north they are found in deeply wooded ravines and on side hills. While with us they rarely if ever sing, but in their summer home they have a clear tinkling song like that of the White-throated Sparrow, with which we see them associated here.
Song.—A clear, sweet, piping “see-dee-dee-dee-de-e”; call note, a sharp chip.
Nest.—Usually on the ground under patches of brush or bushes. The four or five eggs are whitish profusely spotted with brown (.90 ×.63).
Range.—N. A., breeding from northern U. S. northward and in high ranges south to Mexico.