Subject: RE: Gambell's White-Crown?
Date: Jun 5 22:42:56 1997
From: "Jon. Anderson and Marty Chaney" - festuca at olywa.net


Tom Benedict wrote:

"We have a number of White Crowned Sparrows around our building in=20
downtown Seattle. I had the opportunity to watch one closely (approx=20
6-8ft) the other day and noticed that it had an eye line which=20
extended all the way to its bill. Is it possible that the Gambell's=20
race is present here in Seattle?"
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Tom,=20

Good Eyes!

The local nesting subspecies of White-crowned Sparrow in the Seattle =
area is Zonotrichia leucophrys pugetensis, the Puget Sound White-crowned =
Sparrow. Jewett, et al., describes 'our' bird thusly: "Like gambelii, =
but lores not black and superciliary stripe extending to bill; median =
crown stripe usually narrower than lateral stripes, edge of wing yellow, =
and adults with upper parts brown instead of gray, streakings dark brown =
or blackish, and under parts brownish gray. Young: Ground color of =
upper parts light buffy olive; under parts pale yellowish." They say =
that it is apparently the only member of the genus that breeds within =
the state.

The Gambel's race also has light-colored lores (which makes me wonder =
about Jewett's description of pugetensis as "..like gambelii, but lores =
*not* black..."), and is found during migration in this area; I catch =
and band several each year in April and May... The range map in L =
Richard Mewaldt's "Banding Worksheet for Western Birds" (1977) shows =
gambelii's breeding range extending south in BC to what appears to be =
the Okanogan/Okanagan boundary.

I've noted that the yellow at the bend of the wing is a pretty =
noticeable characteristic in distinguishing Gambel's from the Puget =
Sound white-crowns, at least when the bird is in the hand :-) =
Pugetensis is also quite a bit smaller, on average, than gambelii; wing =
chord on gambelii is 70-82mm while pugetensis' wing is 64-74mm.

Jewett et al. (1953) do not describe the 'oriantha' race, which had been =
described by Olberholser in 1932 from the Warner Mtns of SE Oregon. The =
two dark-lored subspecies of White-crowns in N America are the nominate =
'Eastern White-crowned Sparrow', which breeds from Hudsons Bay eastward, =
and Z.l. oriantha, the 'Mountain White-crowned Sparrow' which nests in =
the S Rockies from S B.C/Alberta (where its range overlaps with the =
Gambel's race) south to Ariz/N.M. and west to SE Oregon and down the =
Sierras. I've not looked at/for nesting white-crowns in SE Washington =
(Andy - any insights?), but don't know why the 'oriantha' race might not =
be found - or, at least looked for - in the Blues (say, at Fields Spring =
State Park?). Perhaps this is the dark-lored bird you're seeing in =
Seattle?

I would think that a photo of this dark-lored white-crown might spark a =
bit of interest and discussion. Who knows, with the "splitters" =
currently reigning among the taxonomists, you might have a new species =
for your state list, after all is said and done.... =20

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net