Soon it will be time for the long fall migration southward. When winter arrives, birds are ready to rest and rejuvenate for the time when the cycle begins again. Range maps use colors to delineate the summer breeding areas and the wintering grounds. In the map shown here, red indicates summer, blue indicates winter, and purple the year-round range. This map shows the range of the White-crowned Sparrow.
Summer is the breeding season, when males and females mate, nest, and raise broods of chicks.
The Chipping Sparrow is a common North American breeding bird. This male Indigo Bunting will molt its deep blue feathers and replace them with brown plumage as the season winds down. This means that they have adapted to spend all seasons in the same place. The Cactus Wren is a permanent resident of the Arizona desert. With the coming of winter, finding enough to eat becomes a problem for small birds.