For the Birds: Parking Lot Serenader—The White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow controlling insects
Photo by Whitney Hartshorne

By Christine Southwick

How I love hearing the cheerful one long note-followed by several lively-trilled notes of the Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrows (Z.I. pugetensis).

This is the song of male White-crowned Sparrows claiming their territories from any suitable tree, in open areas, including parking lots. The males arrive before the females to find the best territories.

Starting in April, shoppers are often serenaded by these returning White-crowned Sparrows, which come to breed in the lowlands, even within cities, wherever there is a leafy tree and a shrubby place big enough for a nest.

The sub-species Gambel’s (Z.I. gambelii) White-crowned Sparrows, which we see here in the winter, are on their way to the upper elevations to breed in their preferred habitat of alpine meadows and dense shrubs.

White-crowned Sparrow (Puget-Sound- in May)
Photo by Christine Southwick

White-crowned Sparrows form seasonally monogamous pairs, often forming the same pairs the following year.  Puget Sound females build their nests near the ground in low shrubs.  So strong is their need to reproduce, they have been known to nest in nurseries that have suitable trees for observation perches.  The 3-5 nestlings will hop out of the nest 7-10 days after hatching, long before they can fly, since ground nests are so vulnerable to predators. Both parents feed their young, with the male taking over the feedings, if the female sits on a second brood.

During the non-breeding season White-crowns form flocks and search for seeds in weedy patches and brambles.  This is another species which has evolved to use blackberry brambles for food and shelter. During the summer White-crowned Sparrows eat mostly insects, often using both feet to uncover their next meal, or flying out from a tree top to catch a meal on the wing.

White-crowned Sparrow Parents watching nest in nursery on Aurora Ave
Photo by Christine Southwick

Young male White-crowned Sparrows learn the song they will sing as an adult during the first two or three months of their lives. They learn from their neighboring males, not directly from their fathers.

When you step out of your car, and you hear a long birdnote, followed by several trilled notes, look at the trees in the parking lot, or even a lamp post.  Chances are you will find a White-crowned Sparrow in plain view claiming the area, and you will find your step lightened by the singing of the parking lot serenader.

Previous 'For the Birds' columns can be found on our main webpage under Features.