- Nelson's Sparrow
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Nelson's Sparrow 
Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Emberizidae Genus: Ammodramus Species: A. nelsoni Binomial name Ammodramus nelsoni
Allen, 1875The Nelson's Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni) is a small sparrow. Adults have brownish upperparts with grey on the crown and nape, a cream-coloured breast with light or indistinct streaking and a white throat and belly; they have an orange face with grey cheeks and a short pointed tail.
Their breeding habitat is marshes on the Atlantic coast of Canada and Maine, central Canada, (the Canadian Prairies region and a coastal strip on the south of Hudson Bay), and the north central United States. The nest is an open cup attached to vegetation and close to the ground. Males compete for females but do not defend territories; they sometimes help feed the young. Mating is largely promiscuous by both sexes; multiple paternity in a nest is common.
These birds migrate to the southeastern coasts of the United States. They forage on the ground or in marsh vegetation, sometimes probing in mud and eat mainly insects, aquatic invertebrates and seeds. Their call is a raspy trill, almost a mechanical sound. It may be given in flight during the nesting season. The sound has been likened to a drop of water hitting a hot fry pan.
This bird was named after Edward William Nelson, an American naturalist. Formerly, this bird and the Saltmarsh Sparrow were considered to be a single species, the Sharp-tailed Sparrow; because of this it was briefly known as Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
References
- BirdLife International (2009). "Ammodramus nelsoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/150504. Retrieved 3 February 2011. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
External links
- Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Nelson's Sparrow Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow - Ammodramus nelsoni - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow photos VIREO
- Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Cape Jourimain Nature Centre, New Brunswick
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Ammodramus
- Birds of Canada
- Native birds of the Canadian Prairies
- Birds of the United States
- Birds of Mexico
- Eastern North American migratory birds
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