Tweeters,

There is at least one published paper on hybrid Golden-crowned and
White-crowned Sparrows, and there are several references in Audubon Field
Notes (AFN) and American Birds (AB) as well.

Miller, Alden H. 1940. A hybrid between Zonotrichia coronata and Zonotrichia
leucophrys. Condor 42: 45-48.

White-crowned X Golden-crowned Sparrow in AFN and AB- 23: 619, 33: 802, 38:
952, 42: 1335.

Russell

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Russell Rogers and Mary Moore
6637 Glenwood Drive SW
Olympia WA 98512
(360) 709-9870
mailto: rrogers at halcyon.com
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Maureen Ellis wrote:

> Howdy Eugene,
> I wondered about a White-crowned/Golden Crowned hybrid, but the songs seem
> so different (see Eugene's post below.) I didn't check the literature
> for documentation of hybrids, but the two (or three species if you include
> the White-throated) are closely-related enough? and sort of travel in the
> same circles. My most direct banding experience have been a few assistant
> sessions with Caleb Gorden's projects in SE AZ banding Grasshopper,
> Baird's, Savannah, and Vesper Sparrows, a Meadowlark sp or two, and, once
> a covey of Scaled Quail. Thanks for the great information.
> Cheers,
> Maureen Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu U of WA & Burien-Seahurst Park, WA
>
> "Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of
> confusion and bamboozle requires vigilance, dedication, and courage."
> -Carl Sagan-
>
> "We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities." -Pogo-
>
> On Wed, 26 Jan 2000, Eugene Kridler wrote:
>
> > Maureen:
> >
> > On Oct. 7, 1998 I banded an immature (HY first year bird) Golden-crowned
> > Sparrow. On January 17, 2000 I retrapped it, but the foward 1/3 of the
> > head had a adult (AHY after the beginning of a new year) dead - golden
> > color with heavy black eyebrows. But the rest of the head had adult
> > black and white (AHY after the first year) stripes of an adult
> > White-crowned.
> >
> > Weight and wing measurement this was almost identical when banded and
> > retrapped. 33.5 grams and 80 mm. I've only banded 1,337 Golden-crowns
> > and 1,555 White-crowns through recent years. So I know both species
> > well. Incidentally up until about almost two months after hatching, you
> > White-crowns have fine streaking on the breast, and after that
> > unstreaked breasts. The National Geo book illustration has the
> > streakings much too heavy. Also, quite a few bird books show the
> > immature with a clear breast. One of the interesting surprises about
> > banding.
> >
> > So, Maureen, I don't think the little bit of white on the nape of your
> > bird probably was not caused by injury or partial albinsm. Either an
> > ambitious male White-crown was up to hanky panky when breeding, or a
> > Golden-crown female strayed and took up with the White-crown.
> >
> > Aloha,
> >
> > Gene Kridler
> > The Cranky Real Olde Retired Biologist
> > ekridler at olympus.net
> > Sequim
> >
> >