Coyote Point, San Mateo County, California, USA; 10 November 2007 I was teaching a field class this morning and I thought these two birds presented an instructional opportunity. These two species, both in the genus Zonotrichia often winter in mixed flocks. The bird in back is an adult White-crowned while the bird in front is a Golden-crowned in winter plumage. White-crowned adults look the same year round while Golden-crowned Sparrows have a blended, dull head pattern in the winter. The White-crowned here is the race Z. l. pugetensis which breeds in the Pacific Northwest and winters commonly along the coast of California. It is one of the white-lored western subspecies. Panasonic DMC-LZ5 / Nikon FS 3 / 30XWA / hand-held, no adapter.