The American Tree Sparrow is a hardy little bird of the far north that comes to Michigan only for the winter, brightening cold, weedy fields and feeders when most other sparrows have gone. It sports a rusty cap and a rusty line through the eye over a gray face, a plain gray breast marked by a single dark central spot, and a distinctive two-toned bill — dark above, yellow below. Flocks give soft, musical "tealet" calls and a sweet tinkling chorus as they forage over snowy fields.
The name is a misnomer left by European settlers, who thought it resembled the Eurasian Tree Sparrow; the American Tree Sparrow actually nests on the ground near the tundra treeline, far to the north, and spends little time in trees. In Michigan it is a classic winter feeder bird, feeding on weed and grass seeds and readily coming to millet and cracked seed on the ground, then departing north again as spring arrives.
Feeds almost entirely on weed and grass seeds in winter, gathered from the ground and from bent-over weed stalks, switching to insects during its far-northern breeding season. At feeders it takes millet, cracked corn, and small seeds, usually foraging on the ground below.
Not really. The name was given by settlers who thought it resembled the Eurasian Tree Sparrow. It actually nests on the ground near the northern treeline and, in winter, forages mostly in weedy fields and on the ground.
Only in the cold months, roughly late fall through early spring. It breeds in the far north and comes south to spend the winter in weedy fields, hedgerows, and at feeders, then returns north to nest.
Look for a rusty cap and eye-line, a gray face, a plain gray breast with a single dark central spot, and a two-toned bill (dark upper, yellow lower). These marks separate it from the summer-resident Chipping Sparrow.
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