Molting juvenile. Photo: ps50ace/iStock
Ammospiza maritima
| Conservation status | "Dusky" Seaside Sparrow became extinct in 1987; "Cape Sable" form is localized and vulnerable, as are some other populations. Species as a whole has declined owing to destruction of coastal marshes. |
|---|---|
| Family | New World Sparrows |
| Habitat | Salt marshes. Lives in tidal marshes along coast, favoring areas with dense tall growth above level of highest tides and with openings and edges for foraging. Habitats often feature spartina, rushes, and saltgrass. In Florida, extinct "Dusky" Seaside Sparrow nested in fresh or brackish marsh in some areas, and "Cape Sable" form still does so in parts of extreme southern Florida. |
Forages on the ground at edge of water, and in low growth such as cordgrass and salicornia. May probe in mud or pick items from surface of vegetation.
3-4, sometimes 2-5. Bluish white to very pale gray, with blotches of brown often concentrated at larger end. Incubation is by female only, about 12-13 days. Young: Both parents feed the nestlings. Young leave the nest about 9-11 days after hatching, but unable to fly well for at least another week. Parents may feed young for 2-3 weeks after they fledge. 1-2 broods per year.
Both parents feed the nestlings. Young leave the nest about 9-11 days after hatching, but unable to fly well for at least another week. Parents may feed young for 2-3 weeks after they fledge. 1-2 broods per year.
Mostly insects, other invertebrates, and seeds. Diet varies with season and location, but major items include grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, spiders, small crabs, snails, amphipods, and marine worms. Also eats many seeds, especially in fall and winter, including those of cordgrass and saltbush.
During courtship, male follows female, frequently raising his wings and singing. In non-migratory southern populations, members of pair may remain together on nesting territory all year. Nest site is in low marsh vegetation, a few inches above level of highest tides. Nest (built by female alone) is an open cup of grass, lined with finer grasses. Usually has at least a partial cover or canopy built by bird or provided by surrounding plants.
Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect this bird’s range in the future.
Zoom in to see how this species’s current range will shift, expand, and contract under increased global temperatures.
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.
Sparked by a racist incident last week in Central Park, the new initiative aims to boost recognition and representation of Black people enjoying and studying the natural world.
Projects in North Carolina, New York and California will improve coastal wetlands for birds and people.
Funding benefits birds such as the Black Tern and Seaside Sparrow, boosts ocean and Great Lakes programs, and supports natural infrastructure
Helping imperiled saltmarsh birds adapt to sea-level rise threatening coastal marshes in the Chesapeake Bay
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