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Home/Species/ White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

(Gmelin, 1789)

White-throated Sparrow

G5Secure Found in 75 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102710
Element CodeABPBXA4020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyPasserellidae
GenusZonotrichia
Other Common Names
Bruant à gorge blanche (FR) Gorrión Garganta Blanca (ES) white-throated sparrow (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Mitochondrial DNA data indicate that relative to most congeneric avian comparisons, the five species of ZONOTRICHIA are closely related (Zink et al. 1991). ZONOTRICHIA PENSYLVANICA (e.g., Oberholser 1974) is an invalid name for this species (Banks and Browning 1995).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-10
Change Date1996-12-04
Range Extent Comments
BREEDING: southeastern Yukon to Labrador, south to central British Columbia, southern Saskatchewan, Great Lakes region, West Virginia, and New Jersey. NON-BREEDING: southeastern Iowa to southern New England, south to northeastern Mexico, Gulf Coast, and southern Florida, west across southwestern U.S. to California.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Coniferous and mixed forest, forest edge, clearings, bogs, brush, thickets, open woodland. In migration and winter also in deciduous forest and woodland, scrub, shrubbery, gardens, parks, cattail marshes. BREEDING: Nests on ground at edge of clearing, usually by or under shrubs, tree branches, grass tufts, weed clumps, and ferns; exceptionally above ground in thick bushes or low in tree (Harrison 1978).

Reproduction

Clutch size 4-6. Rarely more than 1 brood per year. Incubation 11-14 days, by female. Young tended by both parents, leave nest at 7-12 days (usually 8-9), can fly about 2-3 days later.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralOld fieldSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
NunavutSUBYes
SaskatchewanS5BYes
LabradorS5BYes
Prince Edward IslandS4BYes
Nova ScotiaS4B,S5MYes
AlbertaS5B,SUNYes
QuebecS5BYes
ManitobaS5BYes
OntarioS5Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
New BrunswickS5BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS5BYes
Yukon TerritoryS3BYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
UtahS3NYes
MarylandS5NYes
Rhode IslandS1BYes
New MexicoS4NYes
MaineS4B,S4NYes
IdahoS1NYes
ColoradoSNAYes
DelawareSNAYes
New YorkS5BYes
IndianaS4NYes
New JerseyS4B,S5NYes
AlaskaS2NYes
OregonS2NYes
MassachusettsS5Yes
TennesseeS5NYes
VermontS5BYes
WisconsinS4BYes
TexasS5NYes
IowaS5NYes
North CarolinaS5NYes
ArkansasS5NYes
ConnecticutS5B,S5NYes
NebraskaSNRNYes
MichiganS5Yes
CaliforniaSNRNYes
ArizonaS2NYes
West VirginiaSHB,S5NYes
PennsylvaniaS3BYes
NevadaSNAYes
KansasS3NYes
MinnesotaSNRB,SNRNYes
KentuckyS5NYes
LouisianaS5NYes
IllinoisSNAYes
District of ColumbiaS5NYes
WyomingS5NYes
Navajo NationS3NYes
South CarolinaS5NYes
MontanaSNAYes
MississippiS5NYes
OklahomaSNRNYes
South DakotaSNAYes
North DakotaS3Yes
AlabamaS5NYes
VirginiaSNRNYes
New HampshireS5Yes
WashingtonSNAYes
FloridaSNRNYes
MissouriSNRNYes
OhioSHYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (75)
Alaska (5)
AreaForestAcres
GravinaTongass National Forest37,381
North BaranofTongass National Forest314,089
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
RevillaTongass National Forest29,298
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
Arizona (9)
AreaForestAcres
Catalina St. Pk. Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest951
Cdo WsaCoronado National Forest1,955
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
Middle Romero WSRCoronado National Forest60
Santa TeresaCoronado National Forest8,929
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Arkansas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
California (8)
AreaForestAcres
Cucamonga CSan Bernardino National Forest4,106
Devil GulchSierra National Forest30,490
HortonInyo National Forest5,717
North LakeInyo National Forest2,406
San DimasAngeles National Forest7,160
Table Mtn.Inyo National Forest4,215
TequepisLos Padres National Forest9,080
WoolstaffSequoia National Forest41,445
Colorado (1)
AreaForestAcres
HermosaSan Juan NF148,103
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Idaho (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Pioneer MountainsSalmon-Challis National Forest172,460
Pioneer MountainsSawtooth National Forest119,563
Indiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mogan RidgeHoosier National Forest8,435
Maine (1)
AreaForestAcres
Caribou - Speckled ExtWhite Mountain National Forest5,988
Minnesota (2)
AreaForestAcres
Brule Lake - Eagle MountainSuperior National Forest12,380
Wood LakeSuperior National Forest596
New Hampshire (9)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
Cherry MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,766
Great Gulf Ext.White Mountain National Forest15,110
Kinsman MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,999
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Pemigewasset ExtWhite Mountain National Forest15,840
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Last Chance CanyonLincoln National Forest8,934
North Carolina (5)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Graveyard Ridge (addition)Pisgah National Forest1,958
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Sam Knob (addition)Pisgah National Forest2,576
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Oregon (4)
AreaForestAcres
Hurricane CreekWallowa-Whitman National Forest1,606
Sky Lakes AWinema National Forest3,940
TahkenitchSiuslaw National Forest5,799
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Tennessee (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
Stansbury MountainsWasatch-Cache National Forest39,696
Vermont (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Virginia (11)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
James River AdditionJefferson National Forest1,140
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
The PriestGeorge Washington National Forest5,737
Three RidgesGeorge Washington National Forest4,745
West Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Mcgowan MountainMonongahela National Forest10,504
Tea Creek MountainMonongahela National Forest8,295
Wyoming (2)
AreaForestAcres
Piney CreekBighorn National Forest22,240
South ForkShoshone National Forest64,903
References (23)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Balda, R. P., and G. C. Bateman. 1971. Flocking and annual cycle of the piñon jay, <i>Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus</i>. Condor 73:287-302.
  4. Banks, R. C., and M. R. Browning. 1995. Comments on the status of revived old names for some North American birds. Auk 112:633-648.
  5. Bent, A.C., et al. 1968. Life histories of North American cardinals, grosbeaks, buntings, towhees, finches, sparrows, and allies. Part Two. U.S. National Museum Bulletin 237. (reprinted by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, NY).
  6. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  7. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  8. Horn, H. S. 1968. The adaptive significance of colonial nesting in the Brewer's Blackbird. Ecology 49:682-694.
  9. Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  10. Ligon, J. D. 1971. Late summer-autumnal breeding of the piñon jay in New Mexico. Condor 73:147-153.
  11. Moore, W. S., and R. A. Dolbeer. 1989. The use of banding recovery data to estimate dispersal rates and gene flow in avian species: case studies in the Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. Condor 91:242-253.
  12. Oberholser, H.C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. 2 vols. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.
  13. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  14. Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
  15. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
  16. Ridgely, R. S. 2002. Distribution maps of South American birds. Unpublished.
  17. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  18. Tarvin, K. A., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1999. Blue Jay (<i>Cyanocitta cristata</i>). No. 469 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  19. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  20. Thompson, F. R., III. 1994. Temporal and spatial patterns of breeding brown-headed cowbirds in the midwestern United States. Auk 111:979-990.
  21. Williams, L. 1952b. Breeding behavior of the Brewer blackbird. Condor 54:3-47.
  22. Willson, M. F. 1966. Breeding ecology of the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Ecological Monographs 36:51-77.
  23. Zink, R. M., D. L. Dittman, and W. L. Rootes. 1991b. Mitochondrial DNA variation and the phylogeny of ZONOTRICHIA. Auk 108:578-584.