White-crowned Sparrows show loyalty to their winter territories and are likely to return to the same areas each year.
Because male White-crowned Sparrows learn the songs they grow up with and typically breed close to where they were raised, song dialects frequently form. Males on the edge of two dialects may be bilingual and able to sing both dialects.
White-crowned Sparrows have been known to migrate over 2600 miles from Alaska to California. While migrating north in the spring, their average travel distance is about 70 miles per day.
During the winter, a White-crowned Sparrow’s body contains about 3 grams of fat of which ½ is used up at night and must be replaced everyday.
Through the analysis of bird banding records, the average life span of a White-crowned Sparrow is thought to be around 16 months while the longest known lifespan was just over 13 years.
Male White-crowned Sparrows do most of the singing, but sometimes females also sing. They usually do this while contesting breeding territories or a winter food source. Their songs are quieter and more variable than male’s songs.
White-crowned Sparrows will share their territories with Fox Sparrows, but chase Chipping Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos until they leave.
White-crowned Sparrows usually show up in the Conejo Valley in mid to late September and stay through the winter until around April.
They usually prefer to eat on the ground not too far away from bushes so they can dart into shelter if they feel threatened.
White-crowned Sparrows show loyalty to their winter territories and are likely to return to the same areas each year.