We’ve added a few new Birdorable birds this week, the first one being this Eurasian Tree Sparrow. In eastern Asia this cute little bird is widespread in towns and cities, but in Europe, where the House Sparrow is occupying the cities, it is a bird of wooded areas and open countryside. It is not an endangered bird globally, but it is declining in western Europe due to change in farming practices and use of herbicides.

There is also a small population of about 15,000 birds in the United States, around St. Louis and parts of Illinois and Iowa. These birds, believe it or not, are descendants of 12 birds taken over from Germany that were released in 1870 in an attempt to enhance the North American avifauna. The birds were set free in Lafayette Park in St. Louis by a local bird dealer. Other European birds were also released, including Goldfinches and Chaffinches, but only the Eurasian Tree Sparrow successfully established a breeding population. If you’re ever in St. Louis and want to find a Eurasian Tree Sparrow you can find some good instructions here.

Birdorable Tree Sparrow Organic Women’s T-Shirt	Birdorable Tree Sparrow Mousepad

The House Sparrow, one of the newest cute birds here at Birdorable, is the most widely distributed wild bird on the planet. It naturally occurs in Europe and much of Asia but has followed humans all over the world. It has been intentionally or accidentally introduced to most of the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand and Australia as well as urban areas in other parts of the world.

The House Sparrow was introduced to New York in 1851. By the end of the century it had already spread to the Rocky Mountains. The abundance of spilled grain used for feeding horses helped the sparrow along. Now they are one of the most abundant songbirds in North America, with an estimated 150 million birds established in all 48 states.