tree sparrow


noun
  1. a Eurasian bird, Passer montanus, related to but smaller than the house sparrow.

  2. a North American finch, Spizella arborea, common in winter in the northern U.S.

Origin of tree sparrow

1
First recorded in 1760–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tree sparrow in a sentence

  • The tree-sparrows, for instance, are very good cold-weather acquaintances of mine.

    A Rambler's lease | Bradford Torrey
  • A flock of tree sparrows were busy in and around a big thicket of wild gooseberry bushes on the upland.

    Some Winter Days in Iowa | Frederick John Lazell
  • Week after week I saw them in the same place, accompanied always by half a dozen tree sparrows.

    Birds in the Bush | Bradford Torrey
  • Tree sparrows like to sleep in holes in the ground like little caves.

    Children's Literature | Charles Madison Curry
  • Goldfinches, juncos and tree-sparrows seek the same meager repast.

    In the Open | Stanton Davis Kirkham

British Dictionary definitions for tree sparrow

tree sparrow

noun
  1. a small European weaverbird, Passer montanus, similar to the house sparrow but having a brown head

  2. a small North American finch, Spizella arborea, having a reddish-brown head, grey underparts, and brown striped back and wings

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012