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Stanton Hunter
Davis, CA, United States
This male Golden-crowned Sparrow has been seen in my front yard for two weeks now. Unusual for the white stripe over the head, and the two large black head stripes, which are unusual for winter plumage. May be a leucistic variant.
Leucistic birds
Unusual (possible leucistic) Golden-crowned Sparrow. Nov 25, 2015, Davis, CA. Photograph by Stanton Hunter.
Hi Stanton, this is actually a White-Crowned Sparrow. This patterning is normal for their species so this bird is not leucistic.
Hi again, I’m sorry but I was actually incorrect in my earlier comment, this is indeed a Golden-crowned Sparrow. The black head stripes are actually normal for a non-breeding adult, their yellow head stripe is duller during the non-breeding season, so I think that this may be a regular Golden-crowned Sparrow.
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