We have had a pair of Eurasian Tree sparrows frequenting our bird feeder for the last 2 weeks. They look just like male HSP, but are smaller and have a distinct black patch on their cheek. My bird book (and the internet) say they are concentrated in and around the St. Louis area and in parts of Missouri and Illinois. There is no difference in plumage between the sexes. It says they are cavity nesters.
My question is: Should I be eliminating them as well? I have been trapping and shooting HSP and starlings and am wondering if they are a threat to the martins. I was curious if any of the St. Louis landlords had any experience with them.
We have lived at our current address for 15 years, fed the birds for 12 and these are the first ones we have seen.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Great job on the ID.
That's not an easy catch.
My guess is, when dealing with the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, they are probably going to be legally treated the same as other, protected songbirds (Cardinals, Mockingbirds, etc.), when it comes to shooting/killing.
I think your only option on those, are nest tear outs, and possibly trapping and safely relocating elsewhere.
Hopefully someone else will enter in, that has more experience in dealing with those little toots.
That's not an easy catch.
My guess is, when dealing with the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, they are probably going to be legally treated the same as other, protected songbirds (Cardinals, Mockingbirds, etc.), when it comes to shooting/killing.
I think your only option on those, are nest tear outs, and possibly trapping and safely relocating elsewhere.
Hopefully someone else will enter in, that has more experience in dealing with those little toots.
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Don & Danielle
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- Location: Dardenne Prairie, MO (suburb of St. Louis)
I can share my experience, but I don't know the "legal" answer. To save me some typing, I will call Eurasian Tree Sparrows EUTS below! 
I have EUTS year-round in my backyard here, a suburb of St. Louis. I have had minor problems with them, especially when I didn't have many PMs around. They would investigate (normally un-occupied) gourds. I was concerned that if they started a nest, the PMs would be unable to chase them out. The EUTS are smaller than HOSPs, and they are nowhere near as aggressive as HOSPs. In my yard, the PMs easily chase EUTS off when the PMs get there first - the EUTS seemed intimidated by the larger PMs. I did eliminate a couple of EUTS a few years ago, but never got a read on if it was technically legal to do so. I keep my gourds plugged until the PMs come - my nearly full gourd rack tends to easily drive off any EUTS.
I also have two Bluebird boxes in my yard, which isn't large enough to support two Bluebird families. The EUTS have a little more success against the BBs, but I think the BBs generally win. To ensure this, I "reserve" one box for the BBs, tearing out any EUTS nests in that box. The EUTS usually get the message quickly, and move on. I let the EUTS have the other nest box - I guess I'm soft.
I have EUTS year-round in my backyard here, a suburb of St. Louis. I have had minor problems with them, especially when I didn't have many PMs around. They would investigate (normally un-occupied) gourds. I was concerned that if they started a nest, the PMs would be unable to chase them out. The EUTS are smaller than HOSPs, and they are nowhere near as aggressive as HOSPs. In my yard, the PMs easily chase EUTS off when the PMs get there first - the EUTS seemed intimidated by the larger PMs. I did eliminate a couple of EUTS a few years ago, but never got a read on if it was technically legal to do so. I keep my gourds plugged until the PMs come - my nearly full gourd rack tends to easily drive off any EUTS.
I also have two Bluebird boxes in my yard, which isn't large enough to support two Bluebird families. The EUTS have a little more success against the BBs, but I think the BBs generally win. To ensure this, I "reserve" one box for the BBs, tearing out any EUTS nests in that box. The EUTS usually get the message quickly, and move on. I let the EUTS have the other nest box - I guess I'm soft.
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Louise Chambers
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Since they are not a native bird, EUTS (thanks Danielle 
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are not protected by the migratory bird treaty act. Their control should be legal, the same as control of HOSP and starlings.
As others have noted in their comments, they are not anywhere near as agressive towards other birds as HOSP tend to be. So the need for control is not as great, but will depend on what the landlord observes going on in their yard. Nest tear-outs might suffice for many landlords.
Their range is very restricted, pretty much to the area where they were successfully introduced, which also confirms that they are not very aggressive.
So keep an eye on what's happening in your nest boxes and base your control needs on that - I have never heard of a landlord having trouble with EUTS. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but thankfully, they are not the match of HOSPs.
Louise
)are not protected by the migratory bird treaty act. Their control should be legal, the same as control of HOSP and starlings.
As others have noted in their comments, they are not anywhere near as agressive towards other birds as HOSP tend to be. So the need for control is not as great, but will depend on what the landlord observes going on in their yard. Nest tear-outs might suffice for many landlords.
Their range is very restricted, pretty much to the area where they were successfully introduced, which also confirms that they are not very aggressive.
So keep an eye on what's happening in your nest boxes and base your control needs on that - I have never heard of a landlord having trouble with EUTS. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but thankfully, they are not the match of HOSPs.
Louise
Matt,
Thanks! Yeah, lucky for him (or her) I had the scope on 9X. Thought at first it was a mutant HSP, but decided to ID them first.
Don and Danielle,
Everything I could find about the EUTS that was published said pretty much what you guys did. Thanks for verifying. You can't always believe everything you read on the internet!
Louise,
We will monitor them closely this spring, if they are still around and decide to try and nest. It dosen't sound like they pose the threat that the HSP do. Thank you for clarifying, though, in case we do have to take action.
It amazes me how they have not proliferated more than they have.
Thanks! Yeah, lucky for him (or her) I had the scope on 9X. Thought at first it was a mutant HSP, but decided to ID them first.
Don and Danielle,
Everything I could find about the EUTS that was published said pretty much what you guys did. Thanks for verifying. You can't always believe everything you read on the internet!
Louise,
We will monitor them closely this spring, if they are still around and decide to try and nest. It dosen't sound like they pose the threat that the HSP do. Thank you for clarifying, though, in case we do have to take action.
It amazes me how they have not proliferated more than they have.
If you really want to do something, you'll find a way...If you don't, you'll find an excuse.
'09 2 pair 6 fledged
'10 3 pair 14 fledged
'11 8 pair 35 fledged
'12 16 pair 65 fledged
'13 17 pair 69 fledged
'09 2 pair 6 fledged
'10 3 pair 14 fledged
'11 8 pair 35 fledged
'12 16 pair 65 fledged
'13 17 pair 69 fledged
Just a quick follow up: While learning more about the EUTS, I found out from the one of the Bluebird sites, that even though they are not protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, they do have state protection by the Illinois Department of Conservation. 
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Guest
i guess what we call tree sparrows or field sparrows is what your talking about.
I have them here in so. east mo. Ozarks and even put houses in my back yard for them and have never seen one try to enter one of the houses or my martin gourds.In fact i've never seen one even lite on the perch tree on my martin pole.
I feed lots of birds and the only time was last year that a titmouse made a nest in one of my martin gourds, blue birds try but i run them off.
I have them here in so. east mo. Ozarks and even put houses in my back yard for them and have never seen one try to enter one of the houses or my martin gourds.In fact i've never seen one even lite on the perch tree on my martin pole.
I feed lots of birds and the only time was last year that a titmouse made a nest in one of my martin gourds, blue birds try but i run them off.
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Don & Danielle
- Posts: 111
- Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 6:55 pm
- Location: Dardenne Prairie, MO (suburb of St. Louis)
Jack...
I'm not sure if Eurasian Tree Sparrows live in your part of Missouri.
They're easy to identify once you get the hang of it. To me, at a glance, they look like male HOSP. They are brown & white and have a black "bib". But, they have a black "spot" on their cheek, and aren't quite as big. The black spot on the cheek is the easy thing to look for - HOSP don't have this feature.
I'd post a picture, but I don't know how.
If you Google "Eurasian Tree Sparrow" and look at the images, you'll see what I mean.
D & D
I'm not sure if Eurasian Tree Sparrows live in your part of Missouri.
They're easy to identify once you get the hang of it. To me, at a glance, they look like male HOSP. They are brown & white and have a black "bib". But, they have a black "spot" on their cheek, and aren't quite as big. The black spot on the cheek is the easy thing to look for - HOSP don't have this feature.
I'd post a picture, but I don't know how.
If you Google "Eurasian Tree Sparrow" and look at the images, you'll see what I mean.D & D
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Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
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- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Jack,
It's amazing how many kinds of native sparrows we have in N America, and fun to ID them. Sometimes pretty challenging and frustrating, too! Thanksgiving weekend, at cabin south of San Antonio, we had 10-11 different species. Some came to feeders but most did not. When it comes to IDing birds, sparrows and small shorebirds can drive me utterly nuts. I like American Tree Sparrows, which we had winters in PA. Field Sparrows are another favorite, they are here in TX in winter and nested in PA.
Louise
It's amazing how many kinds of native sparrows we have in N America, and fun to ID them. Sometimes pretty challenging and frustrating, too! Thanksgiving weekend, at cabin south of San Antonio, we had 10-11 different species. Some came to feeders but most did not. When it comes to IDing birds, sparrows and small shorebirds can drive me utterly nuts. I like American Tree Sparrows, which we had winters in PA. Field Sparrows are another favorite, they are here in TX in winter and nested in PA.
Louise