AMERICAN TREE SPARROW

6 1/4"

FIELD IDENTIFICATION: The American Tree Sparrow is a winter visitor to Wise County.  The adult has a gray face, with rufous cap, crisp rufous eyeline, and bicolored bill (yellow on lower mandible, black on upper).  The back is streaked rufous and brown, and there are two white wing bars.  The tail is notched.  The breast is gray, with some rufous on the flanks and sides of breast.  There is a smudgy dark spot on the breast, also.

The Field Sparrow is superficially similar, but has a less distinct head pattern, with a pink beak, and also lacks the smudgy breast spot.

Field I.D. by Claire Curry

Photos taken in winter 2000-01 by Claire Curry

Watercolor pencil drawing by Claire Curry, winter 2000-01