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Bird name:

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Ammodramus caudacutus

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Code 4

SSTS

Code 6

AMMCAU

ITIS

179344

Breeding Location:

Marshes

Breeding Type:

Polygamous

Breeding Population:

Uncommon to fairly common

Egg Color:

Pale green with red brown markings

Number of Eggs:

3 - 7

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with finer materials., Reeds, grass, and seaweed.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: Small sparrow with pale-streaked gray back, white throat, heavily streaked buff breast and sides, and white belly. Head has a dark cap and eyestripe, thick, orange-brown eyebrows and gray ear patches. Wings are gray with orange-brown shoulders. Tail is brown and pointed. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is duller and has less gray.

Range and Habitat

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: Uncommon to common and local in saltwater marshes along the Atlantic coast.

Breeding and Nesting

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: Three to seven pale green eggs marked with red brown are laid in a nest made of reeds, grass, and seaweed, lined with finer materials, and built on the ground in grass or reeds. Eggs are incubated for 11 days by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: Eats insects, seeds, small crustaceans, and snails; forages on the ground and in dense vegetation.

Readily Eats

Sunflower Seed, Commercial Mixed Bird Seed

Vocalization

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: Song is a soft, insect like "ts-ts-ssssss-tsik", while call is a sharp "chuck."

Similar Species

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow has a shorter bill, less defined markings on head and around eye, and more intense buff on breast, sides, and flanks.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America