tree sparrow

The term "tree sparrow" can refer to two distinct species. In Eurasia, it denotes Passer montanus, a sparrow characterized by a black spot on its ear coverts. In North America, the term applies to Spizelloides arborea, a sparrow with a single dark spot on its breast that breeds in Alaska and northern Canada and winters in the United States.1

Sparrows, in general, are small, seed-eating birds with conical bills. The name is most commonly associated with the Old World family Passeridae, particularly the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), which is widespread in North America and Europe. However, many New World birds from the family Emberizidae are also called sparrows.2