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The adult spring Tree Sparrows have brown crown and neck and white flanks. The lore, under eye strip and the spot on the rear part of the ear coverts are black. The mantle and shoulders are clayey-brown with black longitudinal strips. The rump and uppertail are buffy-brownish. The lesser wing coverts are rusty-chestnut, median coverts are black with the white tips formed the wing bar; the greater coverts are dark-brownish with the broad clayey-yellow edges and white tips. The primaries are dark-brownish with the narrow light edges on the outer web and the bad expressed light tips. The secondaries are black-brownish with broad clayey-yellow edges. The tail feathers are grayish-brownish. The underparts are dirty-white, there is large black patch on the chin and throat. The flanks are olive-grey. The bill is black, legs are light-brownish, claws are rosy, eyes are dark-brown. In fresh plumage after the molting the light-buffy edges of the feathers are well expressed; the bill is brownish-black. Juveniles have the grayish-brown crown and neck; and the buffy-grey with dark-brown strips mantle. The wings are paler, the edges on feathers are narrower than on adults. The spots on the head's flanks and on the throat are grey. Weight 17,0-28,0 grams, wing 66-75, tail 47-57 mm.

Biology

In Kazakhstan the Tree Sparrow is common resident. It inhabits mainly in the towns and villages, but on Ural valley prefers to nest in forests. Sometimes it lives in forest-belts, gardens, clay precipices; during not-breeding season observed on fields, gardens and thickets of tall weeds. Breeding in separate pairs, often close one to other. Nest is built in constructions' hollows, under the roofs, in precipice holes (made by Bee-eater, Sand Martin or Kingfisher), in raptors, crows or swallows nests, in tree holes; gladly in the nesting boxes. Both parents build nest from dry grass, rootlets and bast and inlay it by feathers, hairs and downs. Clutches of 2-9 (usually 5-6) eggs are laid in early April – first decade of July. Both parents incubate on 11-13 days, and feed juveniles, which fledge at 12-17 days old. Fledglings recorded in end May – mid-September. Two or three broods are reared per year; repeated breeding after loss of nest is very often. As well as other sparrow the Tree Sparrow eats seeds, including tame cereals. But it feeds juveniles by insects only. During not-breeding season the Tree Sparrows live by flocks up to several dozen birds, often on mixed flocks with House Sparrows.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 5. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1974. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. А.Ф.Ковшарь "Певчие птицы". Алма-Ата, "Кайнар", 1983.