The Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

The Tree sparrow (Passer montanus) nests over most of Europe and Siberia and has been introduced to several areas in Asia, Australia and America. It's a sedentary bird over most of its breeding areas, but the northernmost breeding bird populations migrate south for the winter.

In North America, a population of about 15 000 tree sparrows has established themselves around St. Louis and adjacent parts of Illinois and southeastern Iowa. These tree sparrows descend from 12 birds imported from Germany and released in 1870 as part of a project to enrich the native North American bird fauna. The U.S. population is sometimes called "German Sparrow."

The Tree sparrow is widespread in the cities of East Asia, but in Europe it occurs mainly in open countryside, with slight hints of forest.

The Tree sparrow is predominantly a grain and seed eating bird that forage on the ground in flocks, often accompanied by house sparrows, other buntings, and finches.