Bird Spotlight-American Tree Sparrow
Volume 9 In a Series

Welcome back to my popular and awesome series on birdwatching. Winter is a great time to watch birds. At least for me. It’s fun to watch them on the feeders. It brings even more peace to an already peaceful season. For me, Winter is relaxing; it gives me a chance to reflect on things and look forward to Spring and Summer. I recently wrote about the House Finch, which normally is seen with the American Tree Sparrow at my feeders.
The American Tree Sparrow is a visitor from the North, only visiting here in Central NY during the cold Winter. Although they are not brightly colored, they are a gentle and beautiful bird.

According to All About Birds, the American Tree Sparrow can be found in much of the United States during the non-breeding season, except for the extreme South and West. In the Spring, they migrate North and eventually return to the tundra of the far North.

It can be challenging to identify sparrows, however, these have two distinctive markings. First, the lower bill is yellow while the upper bill is dark brown. Also, they have a dark spot in the center of their breast. So look for these two markings to differentiate these from other sparrows. They also have a beautiful chestnut brown cap.
Interesting Fact:
According to All About Birds:
- American Tree Sparrows need to take in about 30 percent of their body weight in food and a similar percentage in water each day. A full day’s fasting is usually a death sentence. Their body temperature drops and they lose nearly a fifth of their weight in that short time.
Now I know why my tube feeder outside the kitchen window empties so quickly. I normally have 4 or 5 of these birds eating there pretty much all day. I recently put up a larger tube feeder thinking the seed would last longer. Nope. They seem to empty it in 3 days at the most, just like the smaller one, and it holds at least 3 pounds of seed. Of course, they do have help from the Chickadees and House Finches.
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