title: A new genus for the American Tree Sparrow (Aves: Passeriformes: Passerellidae).
abstract: The genus Spizella (Bonaparte) contains seven species of North American sparrows in the recently resurrected family Passerellidae (Bock 1994; Barker et al. 2013), formerly placed in the Emberizidae, and includes a few of the region's most common and familiar bird species. Spizella sparrows occupy more or less open habitats; most species are at least partially migratory and form small flocks when not breeding. On the basis of their similar morphology and behavior, they have long been treated as a natural group (Ridgway 1901; American Ornithologists' Union 1998).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology & Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Box 351800, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA; Email: slager@uw.edu.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Slager
mesh_terms: D000825:Animal Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D046370:Sparrows / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development; D014481:United States