The Missouri Audubon Society lists 434 distinct species of birds in the state. Did you know that one had a range limited to Lafayette Park in 1870, and has migrated no farther than 150 miles in the 150 years since?
I’m referring to what long-time resident Tom Keay calls “Lafayette Square’s neighborhood bird,” the Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus). This stay-at-home fellow was introduced to Lafayette Park by German-Americans who missed the more familiar birds of home. Carl Daenzer, noted newspaper editor, imported the sparrows along with various finches and linnets. He and a small group of bird lovers released them into the park on April 25, 1870. The 20 tree sparrows were the only birds of those introduced to form a breeding community.
Just as happy at home
The resulting population might have established a broader base but for an invasion of house sparrows into the area in 1878. More aggressive and adaptable, the house sparrow outcompetes its Eurasian cousin for habitat. As a result the range of the tree sparrow is limited to parks, farms and rural woods. The total North American population is only about 15,000 individuals. These are clustered within a tight radius including St Louis, western Illinois, and southeast Iowa.
“Spotting” a tree sparrow
Lafayette Square’s avian mascot lives for up to 4 years. It builds haphazard nests in niches found in stone and trees, and hops around eating seeds, grains, and insects from the ground. A mating pair produces a clutch of 4-5 eggs which hatch within two weeks of laying.
So in a world thick with urban sparrows, like the thousands that loudly claim the euonymus bushes around Lafayette Square, how can you tell one of our own homebody sparrows from the more generic ones? To the left is a visual comparison.
Look for the distinctive chocolate scalp and black spot in the center of the tree sparrow’s cheek. And remember, as the old Czech adage goes, “A sparrow in the fist is better than a pigeon on the roof.”
Science aside, it’s interesting that the Eurasian tree sparrows landed here and stayed. Perhaps they simply fell in love with the neighborhood like the rest of us.
Thanks to sources, including:
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center for its North American Breeding Bird Survey https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/
Missouri Conservationist; May, 2003; Jim Jackson for citation on Daenzer and number of birds in original release. https://web.archive.org/web/20100528082606/http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2003/05/50.htm
Washington University’s Randy Korotev and his Guide For Birders – http://www.wgnss.org/where-to-find-eurasian-tree-sparrow.html October 2006
Missouri Audubon Society – mobirds.org
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds – allaboutbirds.org
Great essay. I’ve had 2 friends who came to STL mainly to see the Eurasian Tree sparrow.
When none were spotted where they expected to see one, three of them appeared during the next day’s brunch, just a few feet from the glass sliding door.