Closely related to the common wintering White-crowned Sparrow, the largest sparrow in North America, Harris’s Sparrow, was feeding on the ground next to the Leather Shop, feeding with other Zonotrichia sparrows. This uncommon species is molting, the black feathers of a breeding bird beginning to appear. This bird breeds in dense willows above treeline in the northernmost reaches of arctic Canada. Its closest relatives are White-crowned Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow.
Vast and Unknowable
Reflections on the Chico Basin Ranch.
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