Brown-headed Cowbirds weren’t the only surprise at my feeders during last week’s snowstorm. I also got a visit from an American Tree Sparrow:
From a distance these birds look similar to a Chipping Sparrow but Chipping Sparrows are slightly smaller with a black line through the eye instead of a rusty brown one. American Tree Sparrows also have a little smudge on their breast that gives them away:
And if you’re still unsure you can always look at the beak. American Tree sparrows have a bi-colored black and yellow beak:
It’s not unusual for these birds to be seen in Wisconsin in winter, but this is only the second one I’ve ever counted for Project Feederwatch—the last one appeared eight years ago.
American Tree Sparrows eat primarily seeds during the colder months and transition to a mostly-insect diet by June and July. They spend their breeding summers in the tundra north of the boreal forest in Canada.
My new friend has been around for the last week eating seeds from the platform feeder or on the ground along with Juncos and other sparrows.
