Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Ammodramus caudacutusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Codes: Common Name: SSTS Scientific Name: AMMCAU ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179344

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Breeding Male

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Overview

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: Small sparrow, pale-streaked gray back, white throat, heavily streaked buff breast and sides, white belly. Head has dark cap, eyestripe, thick, orange-brown eyebrows and gray ear patches. Gray wings with orange-brown shoulders. Brown tail is pointed.

Range and Habitat

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

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"ts-ts-ssssss-tsik", "chuck"

Interesting Facts

A secretive species with very narrow habitat requirements, the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow is found only in the coastal saltmarshes of the eastern U.S.

Until 1995 this bird and the Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow were thought to be a single species, the Sharp-tailed Sparrow.

This species has not been adequately surveyed through the Breeding Bird Survey because it occurs in relatively inaccessible saltmarsh habitats, but the population is thought to have declined because of broad-scale alteration of saltmarsh habitats over the last 50 years.

A group of sparrows has many collective nouns, including a "crew", "flutter", "meinie", "quarrel", and "ubiquity" of sparrows.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Samira Belous

Range Map for Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow

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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.

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow

● Song: "ts-ts-ssssss-tsik", "chuck"

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

● Breeding & 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.

● 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.

Flight Pattern

Short flights with rapidly beating wings alternating with brief periods of wings pulled to sides repeated.

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Breeding Male Body Illustration

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

^BreedingPolygamous

^PopulationUncommon to fairly common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.7 Ounces

Perching-like Body

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