Backyard Birding - The White-crowned Sparrow

I've enjoyed writing about many of the avian winter visitors to the Phoenix area in a couple of recent posts. For the most part, these snowbirds are varieties of ducks like mergansers and shovelers, all frequenting the area's waterways and lakes. But it's not just water birds that migrate great distances to escape the snow and cold in the North; a number of sparrows make the same journey.

Last year I was happy to regularly encounter green-tailed towhees at Phoenix' Desert Botanical Garden. With some of its plumage as bright as a parrot, it's a colorful member of the usually drab sparrow family. Another species sports a more standard palette of grays, blacks, whites and browns but nevertheless still stands out because of its sharply contrasting pattern of head feathers. Aptly named, it's the white-crowned sparrow and it wears its bold black and white rows of top feathers proudly.

This more common bird is easily identifiable in the landscaped yards around Phoenix not just by its distinctive crown but through its unique call. Apparently only the male makes this long and high series of whistles that trail off with a repetitive trill. It's a fascinating song that reminds us we've got a special winter visitor in our yard.