Ammodramus caudacutus
adult
The Saltmarsh Sparrow is similar to Nelson’s Sparrow and favors similar habitats, especially in winter. Its longer bill and subtle plumage differences help with identification. The sexes are similar. Adults have brown upperparts, the back feathers with dark centers and white margins that align to form lines. The head pattern comprises a gray-centered dark crown and a buffish-yellow face with a dark line behind the eye and blue-gray ear coverts; there is subtle streaking on the supercilium behind the eye (the supercilium is unmarked in Nelson’s). The nape is blue-gray. The throat is pale buff, and the breast and flanks are washed with yellowish buff and adorned with dark streaks that are bolder than in Nelson’s. The underparts are otherwise white.
The Saltmarsh Sparrow is found only on the Atlantic coast, with its summer range reaching north to Maine and its winter range extending south to Florida. It is another very secretive sparrow that is hard to observe as it creeps through vegetation.
adult
Cal Vornberger/Alamy Stock Photo: Saltmarsh Sparrow;
FACT FILE
LENGTH 5 in (12.5 cm)
FOOD Mainly seeds, with invertebrates in spring and summer
HABITAT Saltmarsh habitats, both in summer and winter
STATUS Locally common summer visitor; local in winter
VOICE Song is a hissing trill, delivered in a low, fluttering display flight. Call is a sharp tsic
