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Field
Guide IDs: BREEDING:
Stunted woody veg,
coastal scrub, wet meadows, thickets, chaparral,
gardens, parks. 2-3, occ 4 broods, 1 in far
n. DISPLAYS:
Courtship: female
flutters wings and trills. NEST:
Built of grass,
twigs, rootlets, forbs, leaves, shredded bark,
lined with line materials. Built in 2-9 days.
Female chooses site. EGGS:
Pale greenish-blue,
creamy white, marked with reddish-browns. 0.8" (21
mm). DIET:
Includes spiders;
forb and grass seeds, fruit, moss capsules,
blossoms, fresh leaves. CONSERVATION:
Winters s to c
Mexico. Uncommon cowbird host. NOTES:
In nonmigratory
populations, pair may stay on territory all year
and pair for life. Polygynous females may show
antagonism (even singing) toward each other and
divide up their male's territory. In far n, males
arrive 2-3 weeks before females. Female broods;
mouse-runs off ground nest if disturbed. Young usu
fed only by female for first 3-4 days; fledge at
earlier age in far n. Male assumes most of feeding
while female begins second nest. Interval between
fledging first brood and laying first egg of second
clutch varies from 9-20 days. Male often sings at
night. Stable winter flocks of 10-50 show strong
site attachment to wintering territory. Females
tend to winter farther s than males. Common migrant and
winter resident virtually throughout campus,
occurring in a variety of habitat types but usually
found in close proximity to the cover of brush or
dense weedy vegetation. Often occurs in flocks with
Golden-crowned Sparrows,but less closely tied to
shrubs and brushy vegetation and more likely to
occur in or near tall grasses and forbs (without
nearby brush) than the Golden-crowned. Forages
primarily on or near the ground, although in spring
flocks forage in the crowns of flowering oaks and
eucalyptus. ESSAYS: Bird
Badges;
Vocal
Development;
Vocal
Dialects;
Polygyny;
Birds
and the Law;
Site
Tenacity;
Distraction
Displays REFERENCES:
King and Hubbard,
1981; Morton et al., 1972; Petrinovich and
Patterson, 1983 |
