May nest earlier than bluebirds, beating them out of boxes. Not aggressive or pugnacious like the HOSP, but may attempt to claim a box used by another bird (e.g., chickadee). Nesting Behavior : Secondary cavity nester. HOWEVER, the ETSP IS protected in the State of Illinois, under the Wildlife Code (Chapter 520 ILCS 5.) That means you can't remove their nests, eggs or tra[adult birds. Many sources, including the State of Kentucky lists them as NOT being covered by the MBTA. Unlike House Sparrows and Starlings, they are not specifically excluded from protection, but they are also not on the list of protected birds. Status under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act: The focus of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is on protecting native birds, and the ETSP is introduced. Like HOSP, they tend to be around human habitation, are gregarious, largely non-migratory, and socially monogamous.ĭiet : Grains, weed and grass seeds, insects during breeding season and fruit (e.g., mulberry) They tend to stay in woodlands, cultivated and abandoned fields and farms, and parks near human habitation. One bluebirder noted that after trapping and reducing the local HOSP population, ETSPs started to take over, although they did not appear to be aggressive. Their population in 1987 was estimated to be about 150,000 birds. Unlike HOSP, the ETSP has not spread far beyond eastern-central Missouri, west-central Illinois and southeastern Iowa - perhaps because it is less aggressive, or due to competition with HOSP. Louis MO by a bird dealer who imported them from Germany. Hybrid males and females are different from each other (like HOSP).ĭistribution : 20 birds were introduced in 1870 in Lafayette Park, St. However, ETSP can hybridize with House Sparrows (HOSP). But the male HOSP is larger, chunkier (larger head) and has a small white spot over the eye, and females don't have a black bib. The adult has a reddish brown crown (rufous cap) separated by a narrow white color, and prominent black spot on white cheeks, short black bib, and trim build.įrom the front, they look like skinny male HOSP. Species : Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus, or ETSP (sometimes called the European Tree Sparrow). Pretty cool!! Here’s hoping the two are a mating pair, and that they stick around my yard for the summer.Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) Bluebird and Small Cavity Nester ConservationĬontents: Species, Distribution, Diet, Nesting Behavior, Nestboxes, Monitoring, Nesting Timetable, Egg and Nest Photos, More Info A couple of weeks ago, the Small family in Vermillion saw an individual bird…the first live Eurasian Tree Sparrows ever seen in the state (a deceased bird was once found)!! The two birds in my yard today thus represent only the 2nd time the species has been seen in the state. In recent years, stray sightings have occurred outside this range, including areas as close as Minnesota.īut until the last 2 weeks, no live Eurasian Tree Sparrow had ever been seen in South Dakota. They have still almost exclusively been found in far western Illinois, far eastern Missouri, and far southeastern Iowa. IN the 148 years since then, Eurasian Tree Sparrows haven’t expanded their range much beyond their original release location. Louis, Missouri in 1870 by a landowner who wanted to replicate the bird life of his native Europe. However, Eurasian Tree Sparrows have a unique history. Why is this a big deal? They DO look somewhat similar to our everyday House Sparrow. During the rest of the day, there were only two other, brief sightings in my yard (one bird each time). They stayed in the tree for perhaps 1 1/2 minutes, during which I took as many photos as I could. Given the way the two birds moved together, with one always following the other, my best guess is that they were a male and female. Only later did I find that no, both males and females are similar in appearance. At first, I thought they were both male birds, but only because I assumed they had a sexual dimorphism similar to House Sparrows. As I started snapping photos, ANOTHER Eurasian Tree Sparrow popped up in the same tree! One seemed to be following the other. I gawked for a few seconds, and then grabbed my camera that fortunately was only a few feet away. Immediately you could see it was something different…it was NOT a House Sparrow! It was a Eurasian Tree Sparrow! I grabbed the binoculars, and as I started to focus on it, the bird flew…right towards me, landing in the crabapple standing 10 feet from the window. I saw a bird in the back of the yard that looked…odd. About 10:45 this morning, I looked out the sunroom window. I thought I’d take it easy and work at home today. Eurasian Tree Sparrows! In my freakin’ yard!! News at 11:00! More later!!ĮDIT: The story…I WAS going to go work in the office today, but woke up in the middle of the night with a massive headache.
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