American tree sparrow

American tree sparrow
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Emberizidae
Genus:	Spizelloides Slager & Klicka, 2014
Species:	S. arborea
Binomial name
Spizelloides arborea (Wilson, 1810)
Synonyms
Spizella monticola Spizella arborea

The American tree sparrow (Spizelloides arborea), also known as the winter sparrow, is a medium-sized sparrow.

It previously was classified under the genus Spizella, but multilocus molecular evidence suggested placement in its own genus.

Adults have a rusty cap and grey underparts with a small dark spot on the breast. They have a rusty back with lighter stripes, brown wings with white bars and a slim tail. Their face is grey with a rusty line through the eye. Their flanks are splashed with light brown. They are similar in appearance to the chipping sparrow.

Their breeding habitat is tundra or the northern limits of the boreal forest in Alaska and northern Canada. They nest on the ground.

File:American Tree Sparrow, Shirleys Bay.jpg

Feeding in winter

These birds migrate to the United States or southern Canada to spend the winter. Usually, chipping sparrows are moving south around the same time as these birds arrive.

These birds forage on the ground or in low bushes, often in flocks when not nesting. They mainly eat seeds and insects, some berries. They are commonly seen near feeders with dark-eyed juncos.

This bird's song is a sweet high warble descending in pitch and becoming buzzy near the finish.

References

• Slager, D.L.; Klicka, J. 2014: A new genus for the American tree sparrow (Aves: Passeriformes: Passerellidae). Zootaxa, 3821(3): 398-400. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3821.3.9

External links

• American tree sparrow species account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• American tree sparrow - Spizella arborea - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
• American tree sparrow videos, photos, and sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
• American tree sparrow photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
• Interactive range map of Spizella arborea at IUCN Red List maps