Howdy,
Just an semi-educated guess.........this sparrow sounds like a 2nd winter
Golden-crowned with possibly some white feathering at the nape due to
injury or partial albinism. I'm sure you'll get other replies.
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 Tue, 25 Jan 2000, Dan Lindsay wrote:

> This morning in Nisqually at about 10:30 I saw a sparrow I was unable to
> identify. It appeared to be a Zonotrichia, and was associating with a group
> of immature White-Crowns. It was the same size and shape as the
> White-Crowns, had a very dark tail, pink legs, and streaked brown back. The
> breast was clear pale gray; the crown was yellowish with a brownish stripe
> on each side (like an immature White-Crown.) However, it had a narrow white
> throat-patch and a narrow white partial collar on the nape of the neck. Any
> ideas?
>
> Dan Lindsay, Bellevue
> susandan2 at earthlink.net
>