What's in a name?

Prairie grasses run alongside the raptor mews at the nature center. The small hillside is usually unremarkable - it doesn't have the variety of forbs that the main prairie does. Most days, I walk past it and don't really think about what's there. So, that's probably why I noticed something unusual on the hillside today. During lunch, I noticed some of the grasses bobbing up and down much more enthusiastically than could be produced by the existing wind. Riding the stems and pecking at the seed heads were small birds - about a dozen of them.

The rusty cap and white on the wings helped me identify these birds: American Tree Sparrows. They're about 4" long and have a gray stripe between a black eye line and the rusty cap. They look a lot like chipping sparrows, but have a dark mark on their chest. (Notice it on the middle bird?)

When the early settlers first saw these birds, they thought they were seeing tree sparrows like those in Europe. But, as often happened, the European version was a totally different species from the North American one. This bird - the American Tree Sparrow - doesn't like trees! 

It gathers and feeds in open areas or where there are grasses and seedy plants. We're likely to spot them in winter when they move as flocks. They rarely eat at feeders, so that's why I didn't recognize this species. My backyard has lots of trees and shrubs - ironically the absolutely wrong habitat for tree sparrows. I'll keep my eyes open for them at work, since they won't be interested in my yard.