American Sparrow
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American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea |
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American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds of the family Emerizidae .
They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill, and are the equivalents of the species known in the Old World as buntings. Although named as Sparrows, the species in the Americas are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae).
Their habits are similar to those of finches, with which they sometimes used to be grouped. Some emberizids are still named as finches. Many species have distinctive head patterns.