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The male and female of the pretty-looking tree sparrows are similar. Top of the head reddish brown, the black chin colour extends to the eyes, black patches on the white cheeks. The back plumage is a light greyish brown streaked with black, the belly “sparrow grey“. Two white bands on the wings, feathers under the wings yellowish.

 

In winter the tree sparrows roam around rather widely in search of food, we often see them in mixed flocks with house sparrows.

 

They are our long-time native country sparrows and their numbers have not decreased particularly over the years. The further east- or southwards we go the more often we meet them. In Western Estonia the population is more scarce and on the islands we very rarely meet them.

 

The winter number is estimated at a couple of hundred thousand birds. A little smaller than greenfinches, weighing between twenty to thirty grams, length less than fifteen centimetres. We compare them to greenfinches because the tree sparrows do not come to the birdfeeder either only to snatch a seed, but usually spend some time there.