The Tree Sparrow 



By WILLIAM BUTCHER 



President National Association of Audubon Societies 



DESCRIPTION 



Adult. — The entire crown and back of head bright chestnut, in winter most of the 

 feathers with a very narrow edging of pale buff, which, wearing off by spring, leaves the 

 crown uniform chestnut ; line over eye, sides of head and neck gray, this color extending 

 upward, forming a narrow collar; back rusty, each feather having a broad central stripe 

 of black, giving a decidedly streaked appearance ; lower back and rump brownish gray, 

 the upper tail coverts being narrowly edged with white ; under parts, throat and upper 

 breast light gray, fading to almost white on lower breast and abdomen, the sides and 

 flanks being washed vyith pale brown ; on middle of breast a blackish spot or blotch ; 

 wing quills dark brown, the coverts showing a great amount of rusty, each feather with a 

 broad central black stripe, similar to pattern on back, all widely margined with white, thus 

 forming two conspicuous white wing-bars ; tail dark brown, the two outside feathers much 

 lighter, all having very narrow whitish edges ; legs brown ; feet and claws black ; bill, 

 upper mandible and tip of lower one nearly black, remaining two-thirds of latter yellow. 



Size. — From tip of bill to end of tail from 5^ to 6 inches. 



The Western Tree Sparrow [Spizella monticola ochracea) differs very slightly from its 

 eastern relative, being buffy instead of rusty on the back, and usually with an ashy crown 

 patch or streak. The differences, however, are so slight that they would have no value to 

 a person studying a strange Sparrow, through an opera glass, in order to identify it. 



J^est. — Is built of fine grasses, rootlets, hair feathers, etc., and is placed on or near 

 the ground. 



Eggs. — From three to five in number, pale greenish blue speckled or spotted with 

 reddish brown. 



Distribution. — The Tree Sparrows are found during the breeding season north of the 

 United States, in Newfoundland, Labrador, and the region about Hudson Bay, while the 

 western race breeds from the Valley of Anderson River, westward through Alaska. How 

 far south the Tree Sparrows breed is very indefinitely known, therefore data on this point 

 are desirable and important. Readers of this leaflet who reside north of the United States 

 may be able to contribute valuable scientific facts as the result of a few careful observations. 

 If Tree Sparrows are found with you during the months of June and July, they are probably 

 breeding, and a note of this fact should be sent to Bird-Lore. After the breeding season 

 these birds migrate southward and reach the Carolinas and westward as far as middle 

 Texas, Arizona, Utah and Oregon. 



The Tree Sparrow, or Winter Chippy, is presented to the readers of BiRD- 

 LORE at this time because it will begin to make its appearance in the United 

 States about the date of the issue of the October number of this magazine. 

 It is a member of the very widely distributed and numerous family of the 

 Fringillidae, which contains over five hundred and fifty species, that are found 

 in all portions of the world except the Australian region. Of these, North 

 America claims no less than thirty-three genera, and one hundred and eighty- 

 nine species and sub-species. This family contains all the Finches, Bunt- 

 ings, Grosbeaks, Crossbills, Sparrows, Linnets and Siskins. While many of 

 these are dull colored, yet other members of the family are noted for their 



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