The Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) is a lively little bird closely related to the House Sparrow but tied more to the countryside — with a chestnut-brown crown, a black cheek spot, and, unusually for sparrows, sexes that look identical. It is small and compact, around 12.5–14 cm long with a wingspan of roughly 20–22 cm and a weight of about 19–25 grams. The clearest field marks are the uniformly chestnut-brown crown and nape, a distinct black spot in the middle of an otherwise white cheek, and a small black bib; the back is streaked brown and the wings show white bars, while juveniles look like paler versions of adults.
Its call is a bright, sharp "tsipp", slightly higher-pitched than the House Sparrow's, along with a hard "teck-teck" often given in flight — the species has no true song, instead producing a constant chattering murmur from sociable flocks, and the sharp "teck-teck" flight call is often the first sign a flock is on the move. Found across almost all of Sweden except the mountains, with a stable population estimated at 300,000–700,000 pairs, it favours open farmland, farmyards and woodland edges, typically on the outskirts of villages and towns rather than city centres. As a cavity nester it breeds in tree holes, wall crevices or nest boxes, often in loose colonies, building a bulky nest of straw, rootlets and feathers; the female lays 4–6 eggs, and pairs often manage two to three broods a season, with both parents feeding young first on insects and later on a mix of seeds and small invertebrates. Its diet is mainly grass, herb and cereal seeds, with more insects taken during the breeding season, and it is a frequent visitor to winter bird feeders, taking sunflower seeds and seed mixes often alongside other finches; it remains resident year-round, rarely moving far from its home area.
Read about this species in Swedish →