Other than the fact that it's called a Eurasian Tree Sparrow...
here's what else I found interesting about this bird.
Note that...
the Eurasian Tree Sparrow is the one with the BROWN head and lives mostly in TREES.
the House Sparrow has a GREY head and is happy to live with man in HOUSES.
Young girls and boys could learn something from these birds when choosing their soul-mates.
"Usually the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females."
Boys should work hard, while the girls should choose wisely.
Beware the boy who builds a lousy nest...
and...woe to the girl who chooses blindly.
~ PGA
Note that...
the Eurasian Tree Sparrow is the one with the BROWN head and lives mostly in TREES.
the House Sparrow has a GREY head and is happy to live with man in HOUSES.
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My Notes:
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| Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Brown Head with Black Cheeks) |
My Notes:
Weaver Bird = Burong Tempua (in Malay)
Usually the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females.
An example of a Weaver Bird is the 'Eurasian Tree Sparrow'.
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For some Still Pictures of a Eurasian Tree Sparrow NEST, click HERE.
http://enterarena.blogspot.sg/2013/05/eurasian-tree-sparrow-nest.html
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Video:
I could NOT find videos of Eurasian Tree Sparrow weaving a nest so this will have to do.
BBC Home Making: Weaver Bird
http://youtu.be/6svAIgEnFvw
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For some Still Pictures of a Eurasian Tree Sparrow NEST, click HERE.
http://enterarena.blogspot.sg/2013/05/eurasian-tree-sparrow-nest.html
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Video:
I could NOT find videos of Eurasian Tree Sparrow weaving a nest so this will have to do.
BBC Home Making: Weaver Bird
http://youtu.be/6svAIgEnFvw
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Eurasian Tree Sparrow
An Excerpt from ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Tree_Sparrow
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus, is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version of the adult. This sparrow breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the Tree Sparrow, and it has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow or German Sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American Tree Sparrow. Although several subspecies are recognised, the appearance of this bird varies little across its extensive range.
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow's untidy nest is built in a natural cavity, a hole in a building or the large nest of a magpie or stork. The typical clutch is five or six eggs which hatch in under two weeks. This sparrow feeds mainly on seeds, but invertebrates are also consumed, particularly during the breeding season. As with other small birds, infection by parasites and diseases, and predation by birds of prey take their toll, and the typical life span is about two years.
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is widespread in the towns and cities of eastern Asia, but in Europe it is a bird of lightly wooded open countryside, with the House Sparrow breeding in the more urban areas. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow's extensive range and large population ensure that it is not endangered globally, but there have been large declines in western European populations, in part due to changes in farming practices involving increased use of herbicides and loss of winter stubble fields. In eastern Asia and western Australia, this species is sometimes viewed as a pest, although it is also widely celebrated in oriental art.
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 Systema Naturae as Fringilla montana,[14] but, along with the House Sparrow, it was soon moved from the finches (family Fringillidae) into the new genus Passer created by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760.[15] The Eurasian Tree Sparrow's common name is given because of its preference of tree holes for nesting. This name, and the scientific name montanus do not appropriately describe this species's habitat preferences: the German name Feldsperling ("field sparrow") comes closer to doing so.[16]
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Weaver
Weaverbird, a family of birds, most members of which weave nests of grasses or other substances. There are about 145 species, native chiefly to Africa, Australia, and southern Asia. A few are native to Europe, and two—the house (or English) sparrow and the Eurasian tree sparrow—have been introduced into North America.
The various species of weaverbirds are from 3 to 10 inches (7.5 to 25 cm) long. The females are rather drab, but the males of many species are extremely colorful. Weaverbirds resemble finches, particularly with their short, strong, conical bills. They feed on seeds, and some are pests in rice and other grain fields. They are social birds, usually nesting and feeding in colonies.
The sociable, or social, weaver is found from central to southern Africa. Up to 300 pairs of birds build a communal nest of straw and twigs with separate nesting compartments. The nest is up to 10 feet (3 m) high and 15 feet (4.5 m) in diameter. The baya weaver of India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia builds a flask-shaped nest of grass fibers, which is entered through a hollow tube on the underside. Mated pairs build nests in the same tree but the nests are not connected. The African masked weaver is found in Ethiopia. Mated pairs build single nests of grass, which are suspended from tree branches.
Weaverbirds belong to the family Ploceidae. The sociable weaver is Philetairus socius; the baya weaver, Ploceus philippinus; the African masked weaver, P. velatus.
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The Weaver Bird (Burong Tempua)
The Weaver bird, which makes the long hanging bottle -shaped nests occasionally seen hanging from the branches of a low tree, is said to use a golden needle in the work ; and it is affirmed that if the nest is carefully picked to pieces, without breaking any part of it, the needle will be found ; but if it is pulled ruthlessly apart, or if even a single piece of the grass of which it is made is broken in unravelling it, the golden needle will disappear. The makers of these curious and beautiful nests are said to always choose trees that are infested with red ants or wasps, or which grow in impassable swamps. The Weaver-bird (Ploceus Baya, Blyth) is called Burong Tempua. It is said to use only the long jungle grass called lalang for making its nest, which latter is called buah rabun, and is used by the Malays for polishing sheaths and scabbards.
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Ploceidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ploceidae, or weavers, are small passerine birds related to the finches.
These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which breed in sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical Asia and also in Australia. The weaver group is divided into the buffalo, sparrow, typical, and widow weavers. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season.
Weaver birds, also known as weaver finches, get their name because of their elaborately woven nests (the most elaborate of any birds'), though some are notable for their selective parasitic nesting habits. The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species. Materials used for building nests include fine leaf-fibers, grass, and twigs. Many species weave very fine nests using thin strands of leaf fiber, though some, like the buffalo-weavers, form massive untidy stick nests in their colonies, which may have spherical woven nests within. The sparrow weavers of Africa build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom.
Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward. The weavers are gregarious birds which often breed colonially. The birds build their nests together for protection, often several to a branch. Usually the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females. The weaver bird colonies may be found close to water bodies. They sometimes cause crop damage, notably the Red-billed Quelea, reputed to be the world's most numerous bird.
Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward. The weavers are gregarious birds which often breed colonially. The birds build their nests together for protection, often several to a branch. Usually the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females. The weaver bird colonies may be found close to water bodies. They sometimes cause crop damage, notably the Red-billed Quelea, reputed to be the world's most numerous bird.
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How can I tell the difference between my Tree Sparrows & my House Sparrows?
You can ask any of the clever primary school pupils that participated in Agenda 21 Tree Sparrow information sessions, but if you don't have one of these pupils to hand, then here are a few tips!
The tree sparrow is smaller then the house sparrow and is much more shy. The tree sparrow lives in communities in trees, hedges and woodland edges, in quiet areas free from too much human activity.
The house sparrow, however, happily lives alongside man in gardens, buildings and in towns. The tree sparrow has a chestnut brown head whereas the house sparrow has a grey head.
Another difference between these two birds is that the tree sparrow has a black patch on its cheek, whereas the house sparrow does not.
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| Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Brown Head with Black Cheeks) |
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| House Sparrow ( Grey Head with NO black cheeks) |
Videos:
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Tree Sparrows
http://youtu.be/w5Cp59WsMXI
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
http://youtu.be/rPhd2mwnn_A
{a bee eating bird}
Feldsperling - Eurasian Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus
http://youtu.be/_8N8gwH-tYs
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
http://youtu.be/H0qGiNCPz9o
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House Sparrow - HD Mini-Documentary
Transcript:
"The House Sparrow is considered to be the most widely distributed bird on the planet. It is native to Europe, Asia and parts of Africa. It was also introduced to the Americas, New Zealand and Australia.
In North America it was introduced to several U.S. cities in the 1800s as a way to control pests and then quickly spread across the continent. This move was considered to be a mistake because the House Sparrow is an aggressive bird that will take over the nests of native species such as House Martins and Bluebirds.
These house sparrows have taken over abandoned cliff swallow nests.
The House Sparrow prefers human-affected areas such as urban, suburban and farm environments. It is rarely found in wilderness areas such as woods, grasslands or desert.
These sparrows prefer to eat seeds and grain, but will also feast on flowers and insects.
The House Sparrow is one of only three birds in the U.S. that is not protected by law from hunting. The other two are the Rock Pigeon and European Starling."
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Search Words:
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanus
Ploceidae
Burong Tempua
Ploceus Baya
Blyth
Philetairus
Ploceus philippinus
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