Seaside Sparrow

Seaside Sparrow, breeding adult; Chambers Co., TX; April

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A drab sparrow with a short tail and a large bill, the Seaside Sparrow is a salt marsh specialist.

Description

• Small, stocky songbird.
• Dark, olive-gray all over.
• Yellow spot in front of eyes.
• White throat.
• Black whisker mark.
• No wingbars.

• Size: 13-15 cm (5-6 in)
• Wingspan: 18-20 cm (7-8 in)
• Weight: 19-29 g (0.67-1.02 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Song short, muffled, and ending in a buzz; "ttp, zhe, eeeeee," like a distant Red-winged Blackbird.

Conservation Status

Common overall, but some populations vulnerable. "Cape Sable" Seaside Sparrow of southern Florida is severely endangered. "Dusky" Seaside Sparrow went extinct in the 1980s.

Other Names

Bruant maritime (French)

Cool Facts

• Although territorial, the Seaside Sparrow often feeds long distances from the space it defends around its nest. In the tidal zone where it lives, nesting and feeding areas often are widely separated.
• The Seaside Sparrow is divided into several different subspecies that look subtly different. The two most distinct forms, the endangered "Cape Sable" Seaside Sparrow and the extinct "Dusky" Seaside Sparrow were once considered separate species. The "Cape Sable" Seaside Sparrow has dark streaks on a white chest and is the palest form. The "Dusky" Seaside Sparrow was the darkest form, with a blackish back and heavy dark chest streaks.

Sources used to construct this page:

Post, W., and J. S. Greenlaw. 1994. Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus). In The Birds of North America, No. 127 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists? Union.