bird identification?

Question

I saw a sparrow-like bird in Minnesota at my feeder. It had very gold patches on his head and face, but otherwise completely sparrowish. Do sparrows normally have this coloration and I never noticed it? Is this a mating pattern only? Anyway, it was quite brilliant gold, comparable to a gold finch but only on its head. Looking for a decent internet site that show pictures. Ther searches I've made were filled with people selling stuff.

Answer 1

Try these sites:

http://www.greglasley.net/sparowix.html
http://www.audubon.org/bird/BoA/BOA_index.html

Answer 2

it sounds like a gold finch
invest in petersons' field guide for bird watching. it's the best book to have