Eurasian tree sparrow
Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a bird in the family Passeridae, part of the songbirds and other perching birds of the order Passeriformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 21.39 g (from 20 to 32 g) and a wingspan of 21 cm (from 20 to 22 cm).
Quick facts about the Eurasian tree sparrow
A granivore with the trophic level of an omnivore, it is a terrestrial, sedentary bird of woodland habitat with a geographic range of 39,070,000 km². The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 20 g – 32 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 20 cm – 22 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 11.6 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Granivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 13.1 years
- Main food
- seedssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- woodlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 13 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.7 – 5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 10.5 months – 11.2 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 2.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the Eurasian tree sparrow?
Photos of the Eurasian tree sparrow
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the Eurasian tree sparrow live?
Not recorded
What is the Eurasian tree sparrow?
The tree sparrow (Passer montanus Latin pronunciation: [pas.ser mon.ta.nus]) is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes have similar plumage, and young birds are duller versions of the adult. This sparrow breeds across much of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia and has been introduced elsewhere, including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native American tree sparrow. Although several subspecies are recognised, the appearance of this bird varies little across its extensive range.
The untidy nest of the tree sparrow is built in a natural cavity, a hole in a building, or the disused nest of a European magpie or white stork. The typical clutch is five or six eggs, which hatch in under two weeks. This sparrow mainly feeds on seeds, but also consumes invertebrates, particularly during the breeding season. As with other small birds, infection by parasites and diseases, as well as predation by birds of prey, take their toll, and the typical lifespan is about two years.
The tree sparrow is widespread in the towns and cities of eastern Asia, but in Europe, it inhabits lightly wooded open countryside, while the house sparrow breeds in more urban areas. The tree sparrow's extensive range and large population mean it is not globally endangered, although there have been significant population declines in Western Europe, partly due to changes in farming practices involving increased use of herbicides and the loss of winter stubble fields. In eastern Asia and western Australia, this species is sometimes considered a pest, though it is also widely celebrated in oriental art.
From the Wikipedia article “Eurasian tree sparrow” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eurasian_tree_sparrow&oldid=1384527260), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the Eurasian tree sparrow sound like?
Is the Eurasian tree sparrow endangered?
The Eurasian tree sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the Eurasian tree sparrow classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPasseridae
- genusPasser
- SpeciesPasser montanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Fringilla campestris, Fringilla montana, Passer arboreus, Passer arboreus, Passer montanus bokotoensis, Passer montanus gobiensis, Passer montanus hispaniae, Passer montanus iubilaeus, Passer montanus maximus, Passer montanus obscuratus, Passer montanus pallidissimus, Passer montanus shansiensis, Passer montanus taivanensis, Passer montanus tokunagai, Salicipasser montanus
Other names and names in other languages (108)
- Eurasian sparrowEnglish
- Tree sparrowEnglish
- Europese BoommossieAfrikaans
- دوري أوراسيArabic
- دوري الشجرالأوراسيArabic
- عصفور الشجرArabic
- Gurrión catalánAragonese
- বনচিৰিকাAssamese
- pardal collarieguAsturian
- Ҡыр турғайыBashkir
- Палявы верабейBelarusian
- Полско врабчеBulgarian
- ইউরেশীয় গেছোচড়ুইBangla
- dulpinbnn
- Golvan ar maezioùBreton
- Golvan-ar-maezioùBreton
- pardal xarrecCatalan
- Ciáh-giāngcdo
- Pirok-PirokCebuano
- Ныр оравиMari
- Уй ҫерҫийӗChuvash
- Уй çерçийĕChuvash
- vrabec polníCzech
- Golfan MynyddWelsh
- golfan y mynyddWelsh
- Golfanod y MynyddWelsh
- SkovspurvDanish
- FeldspatzGerman
- FeldsperlingGerman
- ΔεντροσπούργιτοGreek
- ΔεντροσπουργίτηςGreek
- KampopaseroEsperanto
- kampa paseroEsperanto
- Gorrión molineroSpanish
- põldvarblaneEstonian
- Landa-txolarreBasque
- گنجشک درختیPersian
- pikkuvarpunenFinnish
- SkógspurvurFaroese
- moineau friquetFrench
- SarksparagNorthern Frisian
- FjildmoskWestern Frisian
- Gealbhan crainnIrish
- Gealbhonn nan craobhScottish Gaelic
- Pardal montésGalician
- Pardal orelleiroGalician
- Sparroo ny biljynManx
- דרור הריםHebrew
- यूरेशियाई वृक्ष गौरैयाHindi
- mezei verébHungarian
- Ճնճղուկ դաշտայինArmenian
- Burung gerejaIndonesian
- Burung-gereja erasiaIndonesian
- TrjáspörIcelandic
- Passera mattugiaItalian
- スズメJapanese
- スズメ（雀）Japanese
- 雀Japanese
- ГубгъуэбзуKabardian
- ЖауторғайKazakh
- ಯುರೇಶಿಯನ್ ಟ್ರೀ ಸ್ಪ್ಯಾರೋKannada
- 참새Korean
- Beytika dahlanKurdish
- Golvan gwythCornish
- eurazinis karklažvirblisLithuanian
- KarklažvirblisLithuanian
- lauku zvirbulisLatvian
- полско врапчеMacedonian
- селско врапчеMacedonian
- Хээрийн боршувууMongolian
- Burung Ciak UrasiaMalay
- MartucciaNeapolitan
- रूख भँगेराNepali
- ringmusDutch
- ਦਰੱਖਤੀ ਚਿੜੀPunjabi
- Pierrot grosellierPicard
- mazurekPolish
- wróbel mazurekPolish
- wróbel polnyPolish
- pardal-montêsPortuguese
- Vrabie de câmpRomanian
- Полевой воробейRussian
- МазурикRusyn
- UhcašilljocihciNorthern Sami
- beibbošcihciNorthern Sami
- beibbošcizášNorthern Sami
- muorracihciNorthern Sami
- vrabec poľnýSlovak
- poljski vrabecSlovenian
- strapciAlbanian
- gjigjimsiAlbanian
- Harabeli i fushësAlbanian
- harabeli i malitAlbanian
- trumcaku i malitAlbanian
- Poljski vrabacSerbian
- Пољски врабацSerbian
- Пољски врабац / Poljski vrabacSerbian
- pilfinkSwedish
- นกกระจอกบ้านThai
- นกกระจอกบ้านไทยThai
- Mayang Simbahan (Church Maya)Filipino
- Mayang SimbahanFilipino
- ağaç serçesiTurkish
- горобець польовийUkrainian
- Gorea-moxhonWalloon
- 麻雀Chinese
- 樹麻雀Chinese
- 麻雀〔樹麻雀〕Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the Eurasian tree sparrow
Other species in the same genus Passer.
House sparrow
Passer domesticus
Spanish sparrow
Passer hispaniolensis
Sudan golden sparrow
Passer luteus
Saxaul sparrow
Passer ammodendri
Sind sparrow
Passer pyrrhonotus
Italian sparrow
Passer italiae
CompareEurasian tree sparrow vs House sparrowEurasian tree sparrow vs Spanish sparrowEurasian tree sparrow vs Sudan golden sparrowEurasian tree sparrow vs Saxaul sparrow
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the Eurasian tree sparrow?
The Eurasian tree sparrow is a bird in the family Passeridae, grouped with the songbirds and other perching birds of the order Passeriformes.
How heavy is the Eurasian tree sparrow?
An adult Eurasian tree sparrow weighs 21.39 g, with reported values from 20 to 32 g.
What does the Eurasian tree sparrow eat?
The Eurasian tree sparrow is a granivore, and its trophic level is classed as omnivore.
Is the Eurasian tree sparrow endangered?
No. The IUCN lists the Eurasian tree sparrow as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the Eurasian tree sparrow live?
The Eurasian tree sparrow has a lifespan of 11.58 years, with values up to 13.1 years reported.
How many eggs does the Eurasian tree sparrow lay?
The Eurasian tree sparrow lays 5 eggs per clutch, with 2.5 clutches per year and an incubation period of 13 days.
Who named the Eurasian tree sparrow?
The Eurasian tree sparrow, Passer montanus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
Does the Eurasian tree sparrow migrate?
No. The Eurasian tree sparrow is sedentary.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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CreatureData. (2026). Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-tree-sparrow
“Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-tree-sparrow.
@misc{eurasian_tree_sparrow_2026,
title = {Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-tree-sparrow},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}