The Cape Sable seaside sparrow (''Ammospiza maritima mirabilis'') is a subspecies of the

seaside sparrow The seaside sparrow (''Ammospiza maritima'') is an American sparrow. Description Adults have brownish upperparts with gray on the crown and nape, and a grayish-buff-colored breast with dark streaks; they have a dark face with gray cheeks, a whit ...

, a species of bird in the family

Passerellidae New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns. Although they share t ...

native to the United States. This subspecies is endemic to southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. It is designated

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

under the Endangered Species Act.

Description

The Cape Sable seaside sparrow is 13 to 14 centimeters in length. The back is dark olive-gray and the tail and wings are olive-brown. Adults are light gray on the belly to almost white with dark olive-gray streaks on the breast and sides.Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow.
In

United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Original 1999, continually updated.

Biology

This subspecies occurs in

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

habitat, breeding in mixed marl prairie dominated by gulf hairawn muhly ('' Muhlenbergia sericea''). The sparrow makes cup-shaped nests attached to vegetation a few inches above the ground.Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow: Species Profile.
National Park Service. A female may produce two clutches per season, and a third if conditions are favorable. Males are very territorial, claiming a patch of prime breeding habitat and defending it. Most vocalizations are produced by the males, which perch and call loudly to defend territory and advertise to females. Courtship behavior includes males chasing females and offering them food and nesting materials. Females may initiate the process by approaching males and begging. Male and female raise their clutch of young together, and may remain together for the next clutch. This subspecies is omnivorous, gleaning plant and animal items from the ground, including seeds, insects, and marine invertebrates.

Ecology

The Cape Sable seaside sparrow lives on the prairies of the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissim ...

. The largest populations are in

Big Cypress National Preserve Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in South Florida, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Miami on the Atlantic coastal plain. The Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, becam ...

and

Taylor Slough Taylor Slough, located in the southeastern corner of the Florida Everglades, along with the much larger Shark River Slough farther to the west, are the principal natural drainages for the freshwater Everglades and the essential conduit for provid ...

Everglades National Park Everglades National Park is an American national park that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida. The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the largest wilderness of any kind east ...

. The common name of the bird refers to

Cape Sable Cape Sable is the southernmost point of the United States mainland and mainland Florida. It is located in southwestern Florida, in Monroe County, and is part of the Everglades National Park. The cape is a peninsula issuing from the southeast ...

, the southernmost point of mainland Florida and part of the Everglades. This bird requires aquatic prairie with low water levels and open areas. Sea level rise, alterations in water flow caused by water management practices in South Florida, and natural processes such as hurricanes, have caused water level changes and flooding, reducing available habitat.

Fire suppression Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated ...

has increased the plant density and diversity in the area, reducing the open habitat required by the sparrow. These factors contributed to its decline. The bird is strongly influenced by water levels. Water level rise effectively halts breeding activities, in part because nests are suspended just off the ground. Daily water level shifts even affect behavior, subduing vocalizations by territorial males. The bird's sensitivity to environmental conditions have earned it the nickname "

Goldilocks "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (originally titled "The Story of the Three Bears") is a 19th-century English fairy tale of which three versions exist. The original version of the tale tells of an obscene old woman who enters the forest hom ...

bird", because for it to succeed, conditions must be "just right".Braun, D. M
The “Goldilocks” Sparrow That’s Shielding the Everglades.
''National Geographic'' 21 February 2017.

Conservation

Water levels are tightly managed in many wetland regions in South Florida, with flood gates controlling water flow in parts of the Everglades. The flood gates were opened after heavy rains in the winter of 2016, inundating areas where water levels have been relatively low for decades. Sparrows in these areas immediately lost breeding habitat. Water management officials continue to balance species conservation with the adverse effects of flooding in this region.Staletovich, J

''Miami Herald'' 1 April 2016. In August 2013, Duke University scientist Stuart Pimm and the

Center for Biological Diversity The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit membership organization known for its work protecting endangered species through legal action, scientific petitions, creative media and grassroots activism. It was founded in 1989 by Kieran Suckl ...

announced filing of a lawsuit against the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

and

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

. At issue was the continuing release of water flooding the Cape Sable seaside sparrow's habitat. The lawsuit alleged the practice to be in violation of the Endangered Species Act. In 2016, the two agencies involved announced plans for further conservation activities to support the sparrow. These include stewarding areas that contain the best potential breeding habitat, and identifying areas that may serve as potential breeding sites as sea levels rise.Smith, N
Saving the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow and restoring Everglades balance is possible after all.
''Sunshine State News'' 23 July 2016. The bird illustrates the

umbrella species Umbrella species are species selected for making conservation-related decisions, typically because protecting these species indirectly protects the many other species that make up the ecological community of its habitat (the umbrella effect). Speci ...

concept of conservation biology, in that thorough protection of this taxon would require protection of a particular habitat and

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

, which would result in benefits for a great many other species.

Gallery

CapeSableSeasideSparrow 2.jpg, In the Everglades File:Seaside Sparrow Banding Research (2), NPSPhoto (9250338006).jpg, Individual in hand Seaside Sparrow Banding Research (1), NPSPhoto (9247554471).jpg, Individual being banded

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2843651 Cape Sable seaside sparrow Everglades Native birds of the Southeastern United States Cape Sable seaside sparrow ESA endangered species Taxa named by Arthur H. Howell