American Tree Sparrow
4/24/20262 min
The American Tree Sparrow is a common winter visitor in the northern U.S. Despite their name, these sparrows stay close to the ground. When foraging, they’ll kick through leaf litter with their powerful feet, beat seedheads open with their wings or grab a bite from a backyard feeder. Sadly, American Tree Sparrow populations have steeply declined since the 1970s. You can welcome these birds to your neighborhood by growing native plants, keeping cats indoors, and filling bird feeders with a millet-rich seed mix.
This episode is dedicated in memory of Pat and Jo Ann Adams of Hartville, Ohio — who enjoyed caring for backyard birds and shared that joy with others.
More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAriana Rimmel· Host0:00
This is BirdNote. [bird singing] The American Tree Sparrow is a common winter visitor in the northern US, but there's more to this little brown bird than meets the eye. [bird singing] Despite their name, American Tree Sparrows stay close to the ground. They'll even nest directly on the ground in open shrublands of Alaska and northern Canada. In their summer home, the sparrows raise their young on protein-packed bugs and juicy insects. [bird singing] In winter, American Tree Sparrows rely on seeds from grasses, wildflowers, and bird feeders, especially millet. [bird flapping] When foraging, they'll kick through leaf litter with their powerful feet and beat seed heads open with their wings. You'll often find them foraging in mixed flocks with other species. Keep an eye out for a little brown sparrow with a dark spot on its cream-colored chest and a two-toned bill that's black on top and yellow underneath. [bird singing] Though American Tree Sparrows are common in North America, their populations have steeply declined since the nineteen seventies. You can welcome these birds to your neighborhood by growing native plants, keeping cats indoors, and filling bird feeders with a millet-rich seed mix. [bird singing] For BirdNote, I'm Ariana Rimmel. This episode is dedicated in memory of Pat and Joanne Adams of Hartville, Ohio, who enjoyed caring for backyard