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White-Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Windthin

Published: May 13, 2016

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bird birds canada migrating photography sparrow wildbird wildlifephotography birdphotography zonotrichia whitecrownedsparrow leucophrys zonotrichialeucophrys birdidentification willifeidentification

Description

This is a White-crowned Sparrow (zonotrichia leucophrys) stopping for to snack on our patio on its migration up to its breeding grounds in northern Canada. It is entirely unrelated to the common House Sparrow, which is actually a European invader. It also can sleep while it flies due to an ability some animals have where half the brain sleeps while the other half remains functional, to allow an animal to avoid predation and continuously navigate over long expanses with fewer stops. This ability, called Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, is found in various mammals and birds and believed to y some to be possible in humans to a limited to extent.