Swamp Sparrow
Encyclopedia
The Swamp Sparrow is a medium-sized sparrow
related to the Song Sparrow.
Adults have streaked rusty, buff and black upperparts with a gray breast, light belly and a white throat. The wings are strikingly rusty. Most males and a few females have a rust-colored caps. Their face is gray with a dark line through the eye. They have a short bill and fairly long legs. Immatures and winter adults usually have two brown crown stripes and much of the gray is replaced with buff.
Swamp Sparrows breed across the Northern United States and boreal Canada. The southern edge of their breeding range coincides largely with the Line of Maximum Glaciation. A small number of morphologically distinct birds inhabit tidal marshes from northern Virginia to the Hudson River Estuary. This subspecies (Melospiza georgiana nigrescens) winters in coastal marshes of the Carolinas and differs from the two inland Swamp Sparrow subspecies in having more black in a grayer overall plumage, larger bill, different songs, and a smaller average clutch size.
Their breeding habitat is marsh
es, including brackish marshes, across eastern North America
and central Canada
. The bulky nest is attached to marsh vegetation, often with leaves or grass arching over the top. Females give a series of chips as they leave the nest, probably to ward off attacks by their mate or neighboring males.
While Swamp Sparrows can be found in small numbers on the southern edge of their breeding range, individuals are probably all migratory, moving primarily migrate
to the southeastern United States
.
These birds forage on the ground, in the mud near the water's edge, in shallow water or in marsh vegetation. They mainly eat insects and seeds.
The song of this bird is a slow monotone trill, slower than that of the Chipping Sparrow
. A male can have a repertiore of several different trills. The call note is a loud chip reminiscent of a phoebe.
This bird's numbers have declined due to habitat loss in some parts of its range.
American sparrow
American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns....
related to the Song Sparrow.
Adults have streaked rusty, buff and black upperparts with a gray breast, light belly and a white throat. The wings are strikingly rusty. Most males and a few females have a rust-colored caps. Their face is gray with a dark line through the eye. They have a short bill and fairly long legs. Immatures and winter adults usually have two brown crown stripes and much of the gray is replaced with buff.
Swamp Sparrows breed across the Northern United States and boreal Canada. The southern edge of their breeding range coincides largely with the Line of Maximum Glaciation. A small number of morphologically distinct birds inhabit tidal marshes from northern Virginia to the Hudson River Estuary. This subspecies (Melospiza georgiana nigrescens) winters in coastal marshes of the Carolinas and differs from the two inland Swamp Sparrow subspecies in having more black in a grayer overall plumage, larger bill, different songs, and a smaller average clutch size.
Their breeding habitat is marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, including brackish marshes, across eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and central Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The bulky nest is attached to marsh vegetation, often with leaves or grass arching over the top. Females give a series of chips as they leave the nest, probably to ward off attacks by their mate or neighboring males.
While Swamp Sparrows can be found in small numbers on the southern edge of their breeding range, individuals are probably all migratory, moving primarily migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
These birds forage on the ground, in the mud near the water's edge, in shallow water or in marsh vegetation. They mainly eat insects and seeds.
The song of this bird is a slow monotone trill, slower than that of the Chipping Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
The Chipping Sparrow is a species of American sparrow in the family Emberizidae. It is widespread, fairly tame, and common across most of its North American range.-Description:...
. A male can have a repertiore of several different trills. The call note is a loud chip reminiscent of a phoebe.
This bird's numbers have declined due to habitat loss in some parts of its range.
External links
- Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow Site - Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
- Swamp Sparrow Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Swamp Sparrow - Melospiza georgiana - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Swamp Sparrow Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding