December 3, 2011 / Leslie

Weekend Birding: American Tree Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow, Birds, Nature, Photography, Saturday Snapshot

The American Tree Sparrow spends it’s summers in far northern Canada and migrates to southern Canada and the northern two thirds of the US for the winter. While many migratory birds are leaving Chicago and the cold weather, this one is arriving.

Last weekend I spotted one in my backyard. I usually see them when I walk the trails in the park. They are known to frequent backyards but this was the first time one of them paid me a visit. It was a cold and windy day and the bird was fluffed up to stay warm.

Tree Sparrows are about the same size as the common House Sparrow and similar in coloring but have several distinct characteristics to set them apart. They have a rusty cap and eye stripe, long tail and bicolored bill. They are often confused with the Chipping Sparrow which is seen throughout the US and Canada in the summer, but migrates to the far southern US and Mexico for the winter.

This is the same bird on the right but not fluffed up. He was foraging for seeds under the feeder. (Click for sharper image).

Interesting Facts:

Tree Sparrows are actually ground birds despite their name. They forage on the ground and build their nests in scrubby areas.
European settlers called them Tree Sparrows because they reminded them of Eurasian Tree Sparrows back home.
During the winter months they need to consume up to 30% of their body weight each day to keep their body temperature up.
They will use their wings to knock the snow off weeds and wildflowers to get to the seeds.

I link up my bird photos on Saturday Snapshot hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.