Conservation and Threats
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists the Golden-crowned Sparrow as a species of Least Concern. The sparrow's extremely large range and population size lift it well above the thresholds used to designate an imperiled species, and data from Christmas Bird Counts show that its numbers are stable or increasing. Throughout its range, it is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and much of its wintering grounds fall into protected areas, including national forests and national wildlife refuges.
As with other flock-living passerines, the Golden-crowned Sparrow is prone to elevated levels of feather mites. It serves as a host for chiggers, chewing lice, including Machaerilaemus maestum, and hippoboscid flies, including Ornithoica vicina. Diseases which are known to affect it include canarypox. A number of predators prey on the Golden-crowned Sparrow at some point in its life cycle. These include Northern and Loggerhead Shrikes, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, Northern Harriers, Merlins, Mountain Pygmy Owls, Western Screech Owls, Barn Owls, feral cats, and Columbian ground squirrels.
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