The White Crowned “Ghostly” Sparrow can be seen in Canada and the States, but rarely in Florida or the SE coast. Photo shot in the fall in Marshfield, Missouri.

This White-Crowned Sparrow was photographed during spring migration at the Wehr Nature Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Photo was shot in the fall on the shoreline north of Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Note the gray crown coloring on this White-Crowned Sparrow.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the White Crowned Sparrow

Identification of this sparrow is a clear grayish breast, a striped black and white crown, and a pink bill. They are stunning to see, as the sparrow is so bright looking compared to other sparrows. It hops about and seems to always hide itself behind brush, or limbs and leaves. When I photographed the sparrow photo above I thought something was wrong, as the colors appeared faded out or ghostly. It took some time to figure out it was the bright white color glaring in the sunlight.

The White-Crowned Sparrow can be seen across Canada and the States, but is rarely seen in Florida or the east coast. It likes a habitat of brush, edges, tangles, and roadsides. I have seen them in brush and dense tangles, where they are constantly appearing to hide. In this case there were thorns making it difficult to reach them for viewing and photographing.