In the annual Christmas Bird Count on Dec.18, 2007,
42 tree sparrows were counted by bird monitors Jenny Vogt and Kim Keper

After seeing the results of this year’s Barrington Bird Count,  Stephen Packard, Director of Audubon-Chicago, said, “To me the big success was the 42 American tree sparrows. That’s a species that’s plummeting on my home count (the Evanston North Shore count) . Despite its name, it’s a grassland bird, and the grasslands are going in so many places. (Do you know they’re a tundra bird in the summer?)

The American Tree Sparrow forages on the ground and nests on the ground. During the summer, the Tree Sparrow eats nearly 100% animal matter (mostly insects). In the winter it eats none, turning then to eating entirely seeds and other plant foods.

Read more about the 44th annual Barrington Christmas Bird Count