Friday, February 7, 2014

White-crowned Sparrow Sub-species


The less common White-crowned Sparrow sub-species "oriantha"
("Interior West" subspecies in Sibley guidebook)
at Gilbert Water Ranch on Nov.17th, 2013.  Photo by Peggy Thomas

The next time you're out observing our cute little harbingers of winter, the White-crowned Sparrow, take a closer look.  You might be seeing the rare subspecies "oriantha"!

When I posted these photos on a Wordless Wednesday,  two of the Valley's most experienced birders, Pete Moulton and Diana Herron, quickly pointed out that I had captured close-ups of a sub-species of White-crowned Sparrows.  According to Diana -
"The White-crowned Sparrow shown above is not the usual White-crowned Sparrow that we see here in the southwest in the winter. It is the subspecies "oriantha" which breeds at high elevations in the interior mountain west. In Arizona they breed in the San Francisco Mountains near Flagstaff and winter to the south (in Mexico and Central America I think). Our common wintering White-crowned Sparrow is the subspecies "gambelii" which breeds in Alaska in the summer. This is a great shot of an unusual bird."

The less common White-crowned Sparrow sub-species "oriantha"
at Gilbert Water Ranch on Nov.17th, 2013.  Photo by Peggy Thomas

The more common White-crowned Sparrow sub-species "gambelii"
at Desert Botanical Garden on Nov.18th, 2013.  Photo by Peggy Thomas

The difference between the two sub-species is mainly the beak and the lores.  The less common "oriantha" has dark lores and a pinkish beak, whereas the more common "gambelii" has grey lores and a yellow beak.



Thank you Pete Moulton and Diana Herron for helping me become a better birder!

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