Passer montanus
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow, *Passer montanus*, is a small, compact passerine bird, readily distinguished by its strikingly uniform plumage across both sexes. Measuring approximately 12.5–14 cm (4.9–5.5 in) in length with a wingspan of 21 cm (8.3 in) and weighing 13–24 g (0.46–0.85 oz), it boasts a chestnut-brown crown and nape, a prominent black cheek patch on a pure white background, and a white collar that wraps around to the back of the neck. Its upperparts are a plain, unstreaked reddish-b...
This adaptable species prefers open woodlands, agricultural areas, rural settlements, orchards, and urban parks, often at low to moderate elevations.
Their diet is predominantly granivorous, consisting of various seeds (especially cereals and weed seeds), supplemented significantly with insects, particularly during the breeding season to feed their young, and occasionally buds or berries.
Eurasian Tree Sparrows are diurnal and highly social, often foraging in small to large flocks, especially outside the breeding season, and forming communal roosts in dense vegetation or building crevices at night. Their foraging strategy primarily involves ground gleaning for seeds and invertebra...
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow boasts an expansive native range across the Palearctic, stretching from Western Europe and the British Isles eastward across vast swathes of Asia, including China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. It also extends into parts of North Africa and the Middle East. As a largely res...
Least Concern
- The Eurasian Tree Sparrow was introduced to North America in 1870 in St. Louis, Missouri, where it maintains a localized, slowly expanding population. - Unlike its common relative, the House Sparrow, both male and female Eurasian Tree Sparrows possess identical plumage, a rarity among many bird...