365Caws is now in its 16th year of publication. If I am unable to post daily, I hope readers who love the natural world and fiberarts will seize those days to read the older material. Remember that this has been my journey as well, so you may find errors in my identifications of plants. I have tried to correct them as I discover them. Likewise, I have refined fiberarts techniques and have adjusted recipes, so search by tags to find the most current information. And thank you for following me!
Monday, April 22, 2019
Golden-Crowned Sparrow
Day 191: The key to success in birding is to learn to observe typical field markings at a glance. A little practice will train your eye to look for key features like wing bars, facial characteristics, breast-flecking, etc. Here, the logic behind the common name "Golden-Crowned Sparrow" is readily apparent in adult birds of the species, but immature specimens can be mistaken for White-Crowned because the yellow patch is commonly absent in young birds. Note that Golden-Crowned has but a single stripe running over the crown of the head. White-Crowned Sparrows exhibit a "bicycle helmet" pattern with white stripes through the eyes as well as on top. A mature Golden-Crowned's yellow patch nevertheless fades to white toward the back of the head. By noting these distinguishing characteristics, you'll be able to parse these two species into their correct...um...pigeonholes. Sparrowholes?
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