Two sparrows on one ear of corn never agree.

A Spanish Proverb

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus, is a passerine bird in the sparrow family.

This sparrow breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the Tree Sparrow.

It has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow or German Sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American Tree Sparrow.

Identification Tips:
• Length: 5 inches
• Small, seed-eating bird
• Thick, conical bill
• Pink legs
• Extremely local range in United States-St. Louis, Missouri
• Sexes similar
• Brown crown
• Black spot on ear coverts
• White on face and neck
• Black chin and eye patch
• Grayish-white underparts
• Brown and black upperparts
• White wing bars

Similar species:

The adult male House Sparrow might be confused with the very local Eurasian Tree Sparrow. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow has a black spot on the ear coverts and an entirely brown crown.

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow’s untidy nest is built in a natural cavity, a hole in a building or the large nest of a magpie or stork. The typical clutch is five or six eggs which hatch in under two weeks.

This tree sparrow feeds mainly on seeds, but invertebrates are also consumed, particularly during the breeding season. The lifespan is short, partly due to birds of prey eating them.

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is widespread in the towns and cities of eastern Asia, but in Europe it is a bird of lightly wooded open countryside, with the House Sparrow breeding in the more urban areas.