Winter Guests Ready to Leave Western Nevada

Golden-crowned Sparrow sporting new band

Golden-crowned Sparrows nest in the western half of Alaska and in the northwestern provinces of Canada. In winter, however, people living along the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. states and in far-western Nevada can enjoy their pretty song and perky foraging behaviors. Their winter range is often underestimated in field guides, and based on GBBO’s small bird banding project north of Reno, they remain throughout the winter months once they find a good spot in western Nevada. 

If you live in an area where Golden-crowned Sparrows winter, you can attract them by planting dense, tall shrubs such as sumac, Apache plume, currants, and wild roses. They also make frequent use of bird baths and platform feeders, where they are usually surrounded by many of their cousins, the Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow. To view a map of sightings of the Golden-crowned Sparrow in recent years, visit the eBird website here. 

- Elisabeth