Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow

On 29 April 2020, I posted a note about our seeing the Pugest Sound race of the White-crowned Sparrow. The second photo is another image taken at the same time on the Washington Capitol campus. At the time, Dennis Paulson wrote a note saying that I identified the race correctly, adding “the dark brown stripes on a light brown back indicate pugetensis. Reddish stripes on a gray back, as well as a brighter bill, are the signs of gambelii.” On 5 May 2020, Erika and I found the gambelii subspecies at Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve south of Olympa. We noted the difference in back color—the gray back is clearly evident in the first photo. Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrows breed across the far North from Alaska to Hudson’s Bay, wintering south into central Mexico.