Swamp Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

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

The simple trills of the Swamp Sparrow ring in spring and summer across eastern and central North America. Its name is appropriate, as it does live in swamps, but it can be found in a wide range of other wetland habitats too.

Description

• Small songbird.
• Unstriped gray chest.
• Reddish cap during breeding; streaked, with gray central stripe when nonbreeding.
• Reddish wings.
• Whitish throat and belly.
• Gray face and sides of neck.

• Size: 12-14 cm (5-6 in)
• Wingspan: 18-19 cm (7-7 in)
• Weight: 11-24 g (0.39-0.85 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but breeding male has brighter chestnut cap.

Sound

Song is a slow trill consisting of two or more pitches repeatedly sung essentially at the same time. Call note is a metallic chip.

Conservation Status

Populations appear to have held stable or increased slightly between the late 1960s and early 1990s. Long-term prospects will depend on wetland conservation.

Other Names

Bruant des marais (French)
Gorrión pantanero (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Swamp Sparrow has longer legs than other members of its genus; this adaptation allows it to wade in shallow water to forage.

• The Swamp Sparrow sometimes sticks its head under water to try to capture aquatic invertebrates.

Sources used to construct this page:

Mowbray, T. B. 1998. Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana). In The Birds of North America, No. 279 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and the American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.