Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Passer montanusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)

Codes: Common Name: ETSP Scientific Name: PASMON ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179630

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Small, introduced sparrow, black-streaked red-brown upperparts, buff underparts, single white wing-bar. Head has chestnut-brown crown, small black mask, chin, ear patches. Swift bounding flight, alternates rapid wing beats with periods of wings pulled to sides.

Range and Habitat

Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Native of Europe and much of Asia; introduced to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1870. Preferred habitats include city parks, suburban areas, and farmlands.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"chip, chip", "teck, teck"

Interesting Facts

In 1870, a bird dealer in St. Louis, Missouri received a mixed shipment of songbirds imported from Germany. Among those birds were about two dozen Eurasian Tree Sparrows. In late April of that year, in an effort to enhance North American avifauna, these birds were set free in Lafayette Park in St. Louis.

The small American population is sometimes referred to as "German Sparrows", to distinguish it from the native species as well as the vast numbers of "English" House Sparrows.

Occurrences of this species in western America and Canada are thought to be either escaped cage birds or stowaways on seagoing vessels from the orient.

A group of sparrows has many collective nouns, including a "crew", "flutter", "meinie", "quarrel", and "ubiquity" of sparrows.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Samira Belous

Percevia^® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Percevia field guides, database and search protocol patent pending.

The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds!

Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

● Song: "chip, chip", "teck, teck"

● Foraging & Feeding: Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Eats seeds and insects; forages on the ground and in trees.

● Breeding & nesting: Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Four to six brown-spotted, white to light gray eggs are laid in a nest made of straw, grass, feathers, weeds, and bits of debris, located in a cavity of a tree hollow, under a building eave, in a bird box, or in a rock crevice. Incubation ranges from 13 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Eurasian Tree Sparrow: House Sparrow has gray crown, gray cheek patch, and black bib extending onto breast.

Flight Pattern

Switch somewhat bounding flight with rapid beats alternating with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Native of Europe and much of Asia; introduced to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1870. Preferred habitats include city parks, suburban areas, and farmlands.

^BreedingMonogamous, Small colonies

^Population

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight0.8 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Chin

The area of the face just below the bill.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America