American Tree Sparrow Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  American Tree Sparrows are small, round-headed birds that often fluff out their feathers, making their plump bodies look even chubbier. Among sparrows, they have fairly small bills and long, thin tails.

  Relative Size

  About the size of a House Sparrow.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.5 in (14 cm)
    • Weight: 0.5-1.0 oz (13-28 g)
    • Wingspan: 9.4 in (24 cm)

  © Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  A rusty cap and rusty (not black) eyeline on a gray head, a streaked brown back, and a smooth gray to buff breast in both male and female American Tree Sparrows give an overall impression of reddish-brown and gray. A dark smudge in the center of the unstreaked breast is common.

• Behavior

  Small flocks of American Tree Sparrows hop about on the ground, scrabbling for grass and weed seeds, calling back and forth with a soft, musical twitter. Individuals may perch in the open atop goldenrod stalks or shrubs, or on low tree branches.
• Habitat

  Look for small flocks of American Tree Sparrows in winter in weedy fields with hedgerows or shrubs, along forest edges, or near marshes. They readily visit backyards, especially if there's a seed feeder. American Tree Sparrows breed in the far north and are rarely seen south of northern Canada in summer.