Sparrow (White-crowned)

Elegantly marked in gray, brown, black, and white, the White-crowned Sparrow is one of the best-studied songbirds in North America.

Much of our knowledge of bird song and development is based on studies of this species.

A young male White-crowned Sparrow learns the basics of the song it will sing as an adult during the first two or three months of its life. It does not learn directly from its father, but rather from the generalized song environment of its natal neighbourhood. Males on the edge of two dialects may be bilingual and able to sing both dialects.

Photographed in the wild, Tucson, AZ