Nelson's sparrow (''Ammospiza nelsoni'') is a small

New World sparrow 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 th ...

Taxonomy

This bird was named after

Edward William Nelson Edward William Nelson (May 8, 1855 – May 19, 1934) was an American naturalist and ethnologist. A collector of specimens and field naturalist of repute, he became a member of several expeditions to survey the fauna and flora. He was part o ...

, an American naturalist. Formerly, this bird and the saltmarsh sparrow (''Ammospiza caudacuta'') were considered to be a single species, the sharp-tailed sparrow; because of this it was briefly known as Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow.

Description

Measurements: * Length: 4.3–5.1 in (11–13 cm) * Weight: 0.6–0.7 oz (17–21 g) * Wingspan: 6.5–7.9 in (16.5–20 cm) Adults have brownish upperparts with gray on the crown and nape, a cream-colored breast with light or indistinct streaking and a white throat and belly; they have an orange face with gray cheeks and a short pointed tail.

Distribution and habitat

Their breeding habitat is

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, central

, (the

Canadian Prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

region and a

coastal strip A wildlife corridor, also known as a habitat corridor, or green corridor, is a designated area that connects wildlife populations that have been separated by human activities or structures, such as development, roads, or land clearings. These co ...

on the south of

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

), and the north-central

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Behavior

These birds

migrate Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

to the southeastern coast of the United States. They forage on the ground or in marsh vegetation, sometimes probing in mud and eat mainly insects, aquatic

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s and seeds. Their

call Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call (poker), a bet matching an opponent's * Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage Music and dance * Call (band), from L ...

is a raspy trill, almost a mechanical sound. It may be given in flight during the

nesting season Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightwei ...

. The sound has been likened to a drop of water hitting a hot fry pan.

Breeding

Males compete for females but do not defend territories; they sometimes help feed the young. Mating is largely promiscuous by both sexes; multiple paternity in a nest is common. The nest is an open cup attached to vegetation and close to the ground. Due to their proximity to the ground, they are vulnerable to habitat loss and are at risk due to

rising sea levels The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...

.Klingbeil, B. T., Cohen, J. B., Correll, M. D., Field, C. R., Hodgman, T. P., Kovach, A. I., … Elphick, C. S. (2018, October 24). Evaluating a focal-species approach for tidal marsh bird conservation in the northeastern United States. Retrieved from https://bioone.org/journals/The-Condor/volume-120/issue-4/CONDOR-18-88.1/Evaluating-a-focal-species-approach-for-tidal-marsh-bird-conservation/10.1650/CONDOR-18-88.1.full.

References

External links

Nelson's sparrow species account
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology

- USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

VIREO * ttps://web.archive.org/web/20190812204108/http://www.capejourimain.ca/assets/uploads/files/2009/7/sparrow_bruant.pdf Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow Cape Jourimain Nature Centre, New Brunswick
A photo-essay at North American BirdsNelson's Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni) - BirdLife species factsheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2668559 Nelson's sparrow Birds of Canada Native birds of the Canadian Prairies Native birds of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Nelson's sparrow Nelson's sparrow