Eurasian Tree Sparrow: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Pigeons, Doves and Sparrows · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. The tree sparrow has no true song. Excited courting males give a series of tschip calls instead.
2. Tree sparrows will breed in the old domed nest of a magpie, or a stick nest of a large bird like the white stork.
3. In a Spanish study, wood-concrete nest boxes ran 1.5 °C warmer than wooden ones, and 76.5% were taken, against 33.5%.
4. Despite its Latin name, montanus, it is not usually a mountain bird. Yet it has bred as high as 4,270 m in Nepal.
5. The tree sparrows around St. Louis were founded by just 20 birds released in 1870.

The quiz

1. What does a courting male tree sparrow produce instead of a true song?

• An excited series of tschip calls (correct)
• A long whistle
• A low drumming
• A soft trill

Courting males make an excited series of tschip calls.

2. Whose old nest might a tree sparrow move into?

• A swan
• A European magpie (correct)
• A flamingo
• A penguin

Tree sparrows can move into a magpie's old domed nest.

3. How much warmer were nests in wood-concrete boxes?

• 0.5 °C
• 5 °C
• 1.5 °C (correct)
• 10 °C

In a Spanish study, wood-concrete boxes kept nests 1.5 °C warmer than wooden ones.

4. What is the highest altitude where a tree sparrow has bred?

• 700 m, in Switzerland
• 1,700 m, in the Caucasus
• 2,300 m, in the Alps
• 4,270 m, in Nepal (correct)

It has bred as high as 4,270 m in Nepal.

5. How many birds founded the tree sparrow population around St. Louis?

• 2
• 20 (correct)
• 200
• 2,000

The population was founded by just 20 birds released in 1870.

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