American Tree Sparrow
(Spizella arborea)

Overview

Summary

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An abundant and widespread species, the American Tree Sparrow breeds in shrubby habitats at and beyond the treeline. Continental results from the Christmas Bird Count suggest little overall change in the population since 1970. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

This species is abundant and widespread, mostly breeds north of the tree line in remote, and mostly undeveloped areas, and there are no known immediate conservation concerns (Naugler 1993). The American Tree Sparrow uses and may benefit from winter bird feeders, although this may also make them susceptible to predation by domestic cats (Naugler 1993; see also Blancher 2013).

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Blancher, P. 2013. Estimated number of birds killed by house cats (Felis catus) in Canada. Avian Conservation and Ecology 8(2): 3. Blancher, P. 2013. Estimated number of birds killed by house cats (Felis catus) in Canada. Avian Conservation and Ecology 8(2): 3. (Link)
• Naugler, C.T. 1993. American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Naugler, C.T. 1993. American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)