Bird Guide

Cape Sparrow vs Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Cape Sparrow (Passer melanurus)

Cape Sparrow

Passer melanurus

Small30 gWoodland

For a sparrow, the Cape sparrow is strikingly coloured and distinctive, and is medium-sized at 14–16 cm (5.5–6.3 in) long. Adults range in weight from 17 to 38 grams (0.60–1.34 oz). The breeding male has a mostly black head, but with a broad white mark on each side, curling from behind the eye to the throat. On the throat a narrow black band connects the black bib of the breast to black of the head. The underparts are greyish, darker on the flanks. The back of the male's neck is dark grey, and its back and shoulders are bright chestnut.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Passer montanus

Small21 gWoodland

The tree sparrow is 12.5–14 cm (5–5+1⁄2 in) long, with a wingspan of about 21 cm (8.3 in) and a weight of 24 g (0.85 oz), making it roughly 10% smaller than the house sparrow. The adult's crown and nape are rich chestnut, and there is a kidney-shaped black ear patch on each pure white cheek; the chin, throat, and the area between the bill and throat are black. The upperparts are light brown, streaked with black, and the brown wings have two distinct narrow white bars. The legs are pale brown, and the bill is lead-blue in summer, becoming almost black in winter.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Latal · CC BY 4.0
Photo: Peter P. Othagoer · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Cape Sparrow and Eurasian Tree Sparrow.