The Story
This is a juvenile Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) that I photographed at the Zhangye National Wetland Park in Zhangye, Gansu, China on March 28, 2018. In eastern Asia it is the common sparrow of towns and cities, while in Europe it keeps to lightly wooded open country. It feeds mainly on seeds but takes insects and other invertebrates, especially in the breeding season. It nests in a natural cavity, a hole in a building or an old nest of a larger bird. IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. The park lies along the Heihe, the second-longest inland-draining river in China, at about 1,440 to 1,470 meters above sea level.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. The wetland’s managers are working to restore habitat that farming and falling water tables have degraded.
©2018 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) belongs to the family Passeridae (Old World Sparrows) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025). Source: IUCN Red List