Listening to a Continent Sing

the companion website to the book by Donald Kroodsma

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW CO-212

The High Rockies: Muddy Pass, Colorado

June 13, 8:25 a.m.

Sunrise at 5:33 a.m.

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A mountain white-crowned sparrow sings the local dialect. He begins with a low, half-second whistled note, but he wavers twice, giving the note a three-part effect; next is a third of a second rising, buzzy note; third is a complex phrase consisting of three different notes; and last is a trill of simple, three to five falling notes, all together a nice four-part song.

His is a familiar tune here, with other white-crowned sparrows singing what sound like identical songs, all of them having learned the local song dialect.

Background

Frogs, dusky flycatcher, swallows, Lincoln's sparrow, mountain chickadee, house wren.

wcsp-11

Photo by Wil Hershberger