American Tree Sparrow

American Tree Sparrows are winter visitors across much of North America. They are small, brown sparrows with a rusty cap and a small dark spot on the chest.

These birds often feed on the ground beneath feeders where they search for fallen seeds. Offering millet and sunflower seeds can help attract them during colder months.

American Tree Sparrows migrate south from the boreal forest each winter with a hearty appetite for white millet, small seeds, and cracked corn. They forage on the ground in loose flocks, often mixing with juncos and other sparrows. A generous scattering of millet is the simplest way to keep them coming back all winter long.

Keep it low and open for these ground-loving sparrows. A platform feeder or ground tray stocked with millet and a fine seed blend is your best bet. They'll also happily pick through seed that's fallen beneath hanging feeders, so placing a catch tray underneath a tube feeder can do double duty.

These winter visitors love yards with brushy edges, meadow patches, and dense shrub borders. A weedy field edge or unmowed strip along your property line is prime Tree Sparrow habitat. Brush piles and dense thickets provide the sheltered ground-level cover they need between feeding bouts. If you have a garden, leave spent seed heads on flowers like coneflower and black-eyed Susan through winter — Tree Sparrows will forage on them naturally alongside your feeder offerings.