Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Saltmarsh Sparrow

Ammospiza caudacuta

The Saltmarsh Sparrow, Ammospiza caudacuta, is a diminutive New World sparrow, inhabiting the salt marshes of the Atlantic coast of the United States. This bird, once considered conspecific with the Nelson's Sparrow and known as the "saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow," is now recognized for its distinctiveness. It is characterized by its brownish upperparts, a gray nape, and a white underbelly. The breast and sides are a soft pale orange, adorned with brown streaks. The face features an orange hue with gray cheeks, and the crown of the head is marked by a gray median stripe flanked by brown. The tail feathers are notably short and sharply pointed.

Identification Tips

When identifying the Saltmarsh Sparrow, look for the orange face with gray cheeks, the gray median crown stripe, and the brown lateral crown stripes. The brown eyeline is also a distinguishing feature. The subspecies A. c. diversa exhibits more pronounced striping on the back and a darker crown compared to the nominate form.

Habitat

The Saltmarsh Sparrow's habitat is restricted to tidal salt marshes along the Atlantic coast. It shows a preference for high marsh areas, where the vegetation is dominated by saltmeadow cordgrass and saltmarsh rush, which are less frequently inundated than the lower marsh zones.

Distribution

This species breeds in the northeastern United States, from Maine to the Chesapeake Bay, and winters from North Carolina to Florida. It is a bird of the coast, never straying far from the salty air of its marshland home.

Behaviour

Males of the Saltmarsh Sparrow are known to be promiscuous, with large overlapping home ranges. They are non-territorial and exhibit a roaming behavior during the nesting season. Females are solely responsible for nest building, incubation, and feeding of the young.

Song & Calls

The male Saltmarsh Sparrow's song is a complex and subtle series of buzzes, trills, and gurgles, often difficult to detect. It is distinct from the Nelson's Sparrow's louder, hissing buzz followed by a buzzy chip. The high-pitched contact calls of both species are, however, indistinguishable.

Breeding

Breeding Saltmarsh Sparrows are adapted to their flood-prone environment. They time their nesting to the lunar cycle, beginning immediately after a spring tide to allow fledging before the next. Nests are open cups of grass, attached to the sturdy stems of marsh vegetation. Females lay clutches of 3 to 5 eggs, with incubation lasting 11-12 days and fledging occurring 8-11 days post-hatching.

Similar Species

The Saltmarsh Sparrow can be confused with the Nelson's Sparrow. The inland subspecies of the Nelson's Sparrow has fainter streaking and a brighter orange breast, while the coastal subspecies has paler, less contrasting plumage. The Saltmarsh Sparrow also possesses a slightly longer beak.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the Saltmarsh Sparrow is primarily composed of insects such as flies, amphipods, grasshoppers, and moths, with a particular preference for the various life stages of soldier flies. In winter, seeds supplement its diet. This bird forages on the ground or in marsh vegetation, often probing the mud at low tide.

Conservation status

The Saltmarsh Sparrow is classified as Endangered by the IUCN and Imperiled by NatureServe. Its populations are in decline, primarily due to habitat loss from human activity and sea level rise. The invasive reed Phragmites has also contributed to habitat degradation. The species is sensitive to mercury bioaccumulation, though the impact on survival is not fully understood. Current estimates suggest a population of approximately 53,000 individuals, with projections indicating potential extinction by 2050 without conservation intervention.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Saltmarsh Sparrows on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More New World Sparrows

A photo of a Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps)

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Aimophila ruficeps
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❤️
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
Birdafan
Ideal Birdwatch Companion
Simply adds to the enjoyment of my birdwatching and helps me record what I’ve seen.
Anonymous
The best bird logging app
Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
Tralisalandhoop
Fantastic app - Love it!
Love this app and have used it almost daily. Lots of species information and easy to use. Love seeing birds spotted by other users in the UK and worldwide.
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
Marlster24
Very Wholesome App
Joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😄
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.