The White-crowned Sparrow is one of the most elegant sparrows to pass through Michigan, wearing a boldly striped black-and-white crown above a clean pearl-gray face and breast, with a candy-pink or orange bill. It does not breed in the state — it nests far to the north in Canada and the boreal edge — but it moves through in good numbers each spring and fall, often mixing with White-throated Sparrows and juncos in brushy hedgerows.
Look for these birds scratching beneath feeders and along weedy edges from late April into May, and again from late September through November. Immatures show tan-and-brown crown stripes instead of black-and-white, which can be confusing. A few White-crowned Sparrows linger through winter in the southern Lower Peninsula, but most continue on to the central and southern states.
Primarily a seed and bud eater, foraging on the ground for grass and weed seeds, buds, and fruit, with insects added during migration and breeding. It readily feeds beneath backyard feeders, especially where millet and cracked seed fall to the ground.
Mainly during migration — late April into May, and again from late September through November. They are passage migrants here rather than breeders, though a few overwinter in the south of the state.
The White-crowned has a pink or orange bill, a plain gray throat, and no yellow. The White-throated shows a sharply defined white throat patch and a yellow spot between the eye and bill.
Those are immature birds. First-year White-crowned Sparrows have tan and rich-brown crown stripes rather than the crisp black-and-white of adults.
Immatures wear tan-and-rich-brown crown stripes instead of the adult's crisp black and white, and hold that pattern through their first winter. Both ages share the pale pink or orange bill and upright, long-tailed posture.
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