Seaside Sparrow

Ammodramus maritimusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Codes: Common Name: SESP Scientific Name: AMMMAR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179346

Illustration © Copyright 2002-2007 Whatbird.com
Click here for licensing information

Percevia^® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Percevia field guides, database and search protocol patent pending.

The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds!

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.

Seaside Sparrow

Seaside Sparrow: Medium sparrow (maritimus), streaked olive-gray upperparts, pale buff underparts, streaks on breast, sides. Head has yellow streak between eye, bill. Long bill, thick base. Short, pointed tail. Short flights, alternates rapidly beating wings with wings pulled to sides.

● Song: "oka-chee-weee"

● Foraging & Feeding: Seaside Sparrow: Eats small snails, insects, crustaceans, and seeds. Forages on the ground, gleaning food as it walks upright like a small rail; also wades in shallow water.

● Breeding & nesting: Seaside Sparrow: Three to six white to pale green eggs marked with red brown are laid in a nest made of dried grass and sedges, lined with finer grass, and attached to marsh reeds or set on a clump of grass, from 1 to 5 feet above the ground; sometimes higher. Incubation ranges from 12 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Seaside Sparrow: Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow is smaller, paler, and buff overall with dark streaks on breast, sides, and flanks, black crown, and gray nape.

Flight Pattern

Short flights low over vegetation on rapidly beating wings with alternating breif periods of wings pulled to sides.

● Range & Habitat: Seaside Sparrow: Resident in coastal marshes of eastern U.S. and the Gulf Coast.

^BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies

^PopulationRare

^MigrationNorthern birds migrate

^Weight0.8 Ounces

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

Seaside Sparrow

Seaside Sparrow

Flight Pattern