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Critter of the Month
Critter of the Month - DECEMBER AMERICAN TREE SPARROW The Amercian Tree Sparrow is an irregular visitor to Tennessee being more common in some winters than in others. Their extensive breeding range reaches across Canada and Alaska and to spite their name, tree sparrow, they actually forage for seeds on the ground, and nest on the ground. If you find one in Tennessee it'll be from late October until mid- March. The most distinctive feature of this small songbird is it's rusty crown and dark center spot in the center of an plain breast. It will have a roundish head, a rusty eye-line and a gray stripe over the eyes and two white wing bars and a rather long tail for it'a size. Both males and females will look th same. Similar but different species often mistaken for American Tree Sparrows are Chipping Sparrows which are smaller and have NO central breast spot. Field Sparrows that have a plain face and bright pink bill and a Song Sparrow which have a dark central spot but many streaks on the chest and dark mustache markings. Look for American Tree Sparrows in your yard, on feeders, and in open grassy areas with woody shrubs or forest edges nearby.
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