American Tree Sparrow

Spizelloides arborea

A hardy winter sparrow of snowy fields, recognizable by its rufous cap and the single dark spot centered on an otherwise plain gray breast.

Feather type: Rufous cap and eyeline feathers, plain gray breast feathers with a single dark central spot, streaked rufous-brown back feathers
Colours: Rufous crown and eyeline, gray face and breast with a central dark spot, rufous-streaked brown back, two white wing bars
Bird size: Small-to-medium sparrow, ~14-16 cm

Found a feather like this?

Identify any feather from a photo, free.

Identify a feather

Overview

The American Tree Sparrow is a cold-hardy sparrow best known in most of the United States as a winter visitor, arriving from its remote arctic and subarctic breeding grounds to spend the colder months in weedy fields and brushy habitat, often in loose flocks.

Despite its name, it has little to do with trees, favoring open weedy and shrubby terrain instead. Its plain gray breast marked by a single dark central spot is a helpful, if subtle, field mark shared with only a few other sparrows.

Feathers from this species show a warm rufous cap and eyeline paired with clean gray underparts, giving it a tidy, understated appearance distinct from more heavily streaked sparrows.

Identifying the Feather

Size and Shape

Moderately small sparrow feathers, slightly more robust than a Chipping Sparrow's.

Color and Pattern

Crown and eyeline feathers are rufous, contrasting with a gray face.
Breast feathers are plain gray with a single dark spot in the center, a distinctive feature among sparrows.
Back feathers are brown streaked with rufous and black, with two white wing bars.

Comparisons

The central breast spot separates this species' feathers from the plain-breasted Chipping and Field Sparrows. Compared to the Song Sparrow, which has a similar breast spot, American Tree Sparrow feathers show a cleaner gray ground color rather than heavy streaking around the spot.

Plumage & Molt

Sexes look alike. Juveniles in summer show streakier underparts before molting into the cleaner winter plumage most familiar to birders. There is one complete molt in late summer on the breeding grounds before migration south.

Habitat & Range

American Tree Sparrows breed on arctic and subarctic tundra scrub in Alaska and northern Canada, then migrate south to winter across much of the temperate United States and southern Canada in weedy fields, brushy edges, and around feeders.

Behavior & Field Notes

In winter, this species forages in flocks on weed seeds held above the snow, and readily visits feeders offering millet or mixed seed. It nests on the ground in low arctic scrub, feeding insects to its young in the brief northern summer. Its call is a soft, musical "teelwit." A rufous-capped feather with a single dark breast spot found in a snowy weedy field points to this species.

Frequently asked questions

What is the key breast feature to look for on an American Tree Sparrow feather?

A single dark spot centered on an otherwise plain gray breast, distinct from the fine streaking of many other sparrows.

When would I most likely find this species' feathers?

In winter across the central and eastern United States, since it breeds far north on arctic tundra and is only present in temperate regions outside the breeding season.

How is this species different from the Chipping Sparrow in feather pattern?

American Tree Sparrow feathers show a central breast spot and a two-toned bill color reflected in facial pattern, while Chipping Sparrow feathers show a clean, entirely unmarked breast.

Does this sparrow's cap color change seasonally?

The rufous cap is present year-round, though it can look slightly duller and more worn by late winter before the summer molt.