Golden-crowned Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow Hybrid Side View

BBL’s first record of a Golden-crowned Sparrow (GCSP) X White-throated Sparrow (WTSP) hybrid banded in Washington State, U.S. The bander, Jeff Kozma noted “When I caught the bird in question, I immediately saw the yellow lores (WTSP identifying mark) but noticed the other head markings were unusual. The throat had the faint "white throat markings" of a WTSP, but lacked the white eye-stripe of a WTSP.  Then, I noticed the small patch of yellow feathers on top of the head between the 2 thin black head stripes.  It was this yellow head marking, that is absent in WTSP but present in GCSP, that made me realize this was probably a hybrid GCSP x WTSP because the bird was exhibiting plumage characteristics of both species.