Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758)

12–14 cmLength21 cmWingspan21 gWeight

This small bird has a black patch on each white cheek, and both sexes look alike.

Busiest months: April–May and October · Most records: China, Spain, Japan

Looks like House Sparrow

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

One black patch on each white cheek
Crown and nape chestnut
Upperparts brown with black markings; two dirty-white wing patches
Bill stout and conical

Male, female and young

Sexes do not differ in plumage; juveniles resemble adults but are usually duller.

Voice

It has no true song. Unpaired or courting males give repeated “tschip” calls; the flight call is a grating “teck”.

Similar species

House Sparrow

House Sparrow is slightly larger, and the male has a gray crown; Eurasian Tree Sparrow has a rufous crown and white cheeks with black patches.

Where and when it's recorded

Eurasian Tree Sparrow has been recorded at 3,644 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 95 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)5,173 records
Taipei – National Taiwan University Main CampusTaiwan (China)5,072 records
Riverlands Migratory Bird SanctuaryUnited States4,715 records

More places

Huajiang IBA – Huajiang Wild Duck Nature Park (Huajiang to Zhongxing Bridge)Taiwan (China)3,695 records
Bempton Cliffs RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom3,484 records
Taipei – Taipei Botanical GardenTaiwan (China)3,127 records
El Oso – Laguna y entornoSpain2,657 records
Chiayi – NCYU Lantan CampusTaiwan (China)2,590 records
Horseshoe Lake State ParkUnited States2,573 records
Nanhui DongtanChina2,495 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Spain Japan Thailand United Kingdom South Korea Malaysia Philippines

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The tree sparrow (Passer montanus Latin pronunciation: [pas.ser mon.ta.nus]) is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape and a black patch on each pure white cheek. This sparrow breeds across much of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia and 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 American tree sparrow.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Eurasian Tree Sparrow?

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is about 12–14 cm long, with a wingspan of 21 cm and weighs around 21 g.

Where does the Eurasian Tree Sparrow live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental: subarctic to tropics of Palearctic and Oriental regions in farms, parks, cities: British Isles, southern Scandinavia, southeastern Murmansk east to southern Chukotka, Kamchatka, and Commander Islands (northwestern to northeastern Russia), in south to Iberian Peninsula, Gran Canaria (central Canary Islands, Macaronesia, west of northern Africa), Mediterranean islands through Turkey, northern Iran, south-central Pakistan, Tibet, central, eastern Himalayas through Southeast Asia, eastern Asian islands from Kuril Islands, all Japan, Taiwan (China), all Philippines and Indonesian Archipelago; introduced many other places. It is most often recorded in China, Spain and Japan.

When is the best time to see the Eurasian Tree Sparrow?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April, May and October (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Eurasian Tree Sparrow endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Eurasian Tree Sparrow as Least Concern.

What does the Eurasian Tree Sparrow eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Eurasian Tree Sparrow in?

It belongs to the family Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 12–14 cm
Wingspan: 21 cm
Weight: 21 g
Habitat: Woodland
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 68 mm
Tail: 51 mm
Bill: 13 mm
Tarsus: 16 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, Oriental: subarctic to tropics of Palearctic and Oriental regions in farms, parks, cities: British Isles, southern Scandinavia, southeastern Murmansk east to southern Chukotka, Kamchatka, and Commander Islands (northwestern to northeastern Russia), in south to Iberian Peninsula, Gran Canaria (central Canary Islands, Macaronesia, west of northern Africa), Mediterranean islands through Turkey, northern Iran, south-central Pakistan, Tibet, central, eastern Himalayas through Southeast Asia, eastern Asian islands from Kuril Islands, all Japan, Taiwan (China), all Philippines and Indonesian Archipelago; introduced many other places

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 7

Passer montanus dybowskii se Siberia, ne China and n Korea
Passer montanus kansuensis nc China
Passer montanus dilutus s Kazakhstan and e Iran to nw China and s Mongolia
Passer montanus tibetanus Tibet to c China
Passer montanus saturatus Sakhalin and Kuril Is. and Japan through e China to Taiwan (China) and n Philippines
Passer montanus hepaticus ne India (ne Arunachal Pradesh), se Tibet and nw Myanmar
Passer montanus malaccensis w Nepal to Bhutan and ne India (Assam), s China, se Asia, Indonesian Arch. and s Philippines