Skip to main content

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

ID Info
Silhouette Old World SparrowsOld World Sparrows
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Passeridae

Basic Description

In late April 1870, a shipment of European birds from Germany was released in St. Louis, Missouri, in order to provide familiar bird species for newly settled European immigrants. The shipment included 12 hardy Eurasian Tree Sparrows. These chestnut-capped, white-cheeked arrivals prospered in the hedges and woodlots of the region, ultimately spreading through northeastern Missouri, west-central Illinois, and southeastern Iowa. Unlike its relative, the House Sparrow, it is not a bird of cities, instead using farms and lightly wooded residential areas.

More ID Info
image of range map for Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
Explore Maps

Find This Bird

Eurasian Tree Sparrows are rather easily found in thick hedgerows, bushy parks, and around working farms and grain elevators within its range. eBird can help you find recent sightings, but be respectful of private property around farms.

Other Names

  • Gorrión Molinero (Spanish)
  • Moineau friquet (French)
  • Cool Facts