Suomi
Svenska
Polski
Čeština
Slovenčina
Norsk
Dansk
American Tree Sparrow
Spizelloides arborea
Identify the American Tree Sparrow by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.
The American Tree Sparrow is a medium-sized sparrow of the far north, breeding on tundra and at the northern edge of the boreal forest in Alaska and northern Canada. In winter it moves into southern Canada and the United States, where it is a familiar cold-season visitor at feeders. It has a rusty cap, a grey face with a rufous eye stripe and a small dark spot on the breast. It is the only member of its genus and an extremely rare vagrant to Europe.
Did you know?
- It is the only member of the genus Spizelloides.
- Despite its name, it breeds mostly beyond the treeline.
Voice
About the species
Identification
A slim sparrow with a rusty crown, a grey face with a rufous stripe behind the eye, a plain grey breast with a dark central spot and rufous-washed flanks. The upper mandible is dark and the lower yellow. It shows two white wing bars.
Family
Passerellidae
Size
Small (sparrow)
Colours
brown, grey, white, orange
About the habitat
Breeds on shrubby tundra and at the northern treeline; winters in weedy fields, hedgerows, marsh edges and gardens.
Diet
Mainly seeds of grasses and weeds in winter, insects in summer, and some berries.
Behaviour
Forages on the ground and in low bushes, forming flocks outside the breeding season, often with Dark-eyed Juncos. It nests on or near the ground in a cup of grass, feathers and moss. Although the female lays one egg a day, the chicks hatch within hours of each other. Its song is a sweet, high warble that descends and ends in a buzz.
Sources
Photo: Fyn Kynd, CC BY 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American Tree Sparrow - Flickr - Fyn Kynd.jpg
Sound: Doug Hynes, XC568655, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://xeno-canto.org/568655
Sound: Jonathon Jongsma, XC92009, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://xeno-canto.org/92009
Sound: Daniel Parker, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spizella_arborea_-_American_Tree_Sparrow_XC169443.mp3
Text: Wikipedia (English), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_tree_sparrow
