Wow, that's a challenge. I printed your photos and compared them to our
White-throats and Goldens in Conner Museum. We have only about 10
White-throats and only one is an immature. We have many more Goldens.

The pattern and width of stripes on the head looks like Golden. Some of
our Goldens have somewhat pale throats, but none as prominent and white as
your bird. I'm inclined to say hybrid is a reasonable guess. If forced
to call it one or the other, I'd lean more towards Golden.

Kelly Cassidy
Pullman, WA

> Help please! I noticed a LBB with a very white throat in my West Seattle
> backyard yesterday. I thought it must be a white-throated sparrow but a
> friend suggests that the beak is wrong and it must be a gold-crowned
> sparrow with "a very pale throat." The thing is blazingly white (you might
> even say it glows!), not "very pale" but she's usually right . . .
>
> Photos are are here:
>
> http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/emmarytz/birds%20and%20cookies%20of%20December/?action=view&current=whitethroatedsparrow22december.jpg
>
> and here:
>
>
> http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/emmarytz/birds%20and%20cookies%20of%20December/?action=view&current=whitethroatedsparrowbackyard.jpg
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mary
>
>
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