Species: Spizella arborea
American Tree Sparrow
Species
Show on Lists
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Emberizidae
Genus
Spizella
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
bruant hudsonien
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Perching Birds
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Passeriformes - Emberizidae - Spizella - See Zink and Dittmann (1993) for a hypothesis for evolution in the genus SPIZELLA. See Dodge et al. (1995) for a comparison of phylogenies derived from two molecular data sets for the genus SPIZELLA; among other results, monophyly of SPIZELLA including the American tree sparrow was supported.
Ecology and Life History
Short General Description
A small bird (sparrow).
Migration
false - false - true - Migrates northward in flocks through U.S. in March-April (Terres 1980); arrives in breeding areas in northern Alaska and northwestern Canada late May-early June, departs by mid-September (Johnson and Herter 1989).
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Feeds primarily on seeds, but also eats some insects. Forages on the ground.
Reproduction Comments
Eggs laid May-July (begins nesting in mid-June in northern Alaska and northwestern Canada). Clutch size 3-5, sometimes 6. Incubation 12-13 days (Terres 1980). Young tended by both adults, usually leave nest 9-10 days after hatching, unable to fly for 5-6 more days.
Ecology Comments
During winter often seen in groups of 4-8 birds.
Length
16
Weight
20
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-12-04
Global Status Last Changed
1996-12-04
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
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Global Range
BREEDING: Alaska and across central Canada, from northern Yukon and Mackenzie east to Labrador. NON-BREEDING: south-coastal and southeastern Alaska (rarely), southern Canada south to northern California, central Nevada, northern and east-central Arizona, central and southeastern New Mexico, northern Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina (casually farther south) (AOU 1983).