Spizelloides arborea
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The American tree sparrow (Spizelloides arborea), also known as the winter sparrow, is a medium-sized New World sparrow. It breeds in Alaska and Northern Canada and winters in Southern Canada and the Contiguous United States. It is the only member of the genus Spizelloides.
First described in 1810 by Alexander Wilson, it was included by John James Audubon in the first edition of The Birds of America under the name Canada bunting. The American tree sparrow was originally placed in the genus Spizella. In 2014, it was moved to its own monotypic genus, Spizelloides, based on polyphyly in Spizella and multilocus molecular evidence suggesting the species was strongly divergent from other extant genera.
The bird's measurements are as follows: Length: 5.5 in (14 cm) Weight: 0.5–1.0 oz (13–28 g) Wingspan: 9.4 in (24 cm) Adults have a rusty cap and grey underparts with a small dark spot on the breast. They have a rusty back with lighter stripes, brown wings with white bars and a slim tail. Their face is grey with a rusty line through the eye. Their flanks are splashed with light brown. They are similar in appearance to the chipping sparrow. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Wood Buffalo National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Tree Sparrow sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 49 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 122nd most-seen of the 191 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an American Tree Sparrow in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, May–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Tree Sparrow sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate American Tree Sparrow sightings, Banff National Park ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Denali National Park (United States, about 40%), Kluane National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Wood Buffalo National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the American Tree Sparrow that you can see in Banff National Park (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Dark-eyed Junco (about 70%), White-crowned Sparrow (about 50%) and Chipping Sparrow (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Tree Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Banff National Park (49 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
