Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow -- Ammodramus nelsoni -- South Dakota Birds

The Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow and the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow were only recently split into two species, having once been both labeled the "Sharp-tailed Sparrow".  The Nelson's is unusual in several ways.  Their breeding distribution is oddly disjunct, with an interior population in the Northern Plains of the U.S. and south-central Canada, and coastal populations on southern Hudson Bay and in the New England area.  Their breeding behavior is also unusual, in that both sexes are extremely promiscuous and fail to form pairs.  Males will sing their mating song, but will breed with any female that is amenable.  Females raise the young alone, and will also mate with multiple males.

Habitat: During the summer breeding season, they are found in freshwater marshes with abundant marsh grasses.  They are primarily found in saltwater marshes during the winter.

Diet: Most of the summer diet is insects and spiders.  Insects, spiders, marine worms, snails, and other small invertebrates continue to make up much of the diet in the winter along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, but they will also feed on seeds of grasses and marsh plants.

Behavior: Usually forages along or near the ground, picking up food items from the ground, foliage, water, and sometimes probing in mud.  Males will sing both from perches and in flight during the summer breeding season.

Nesting: June and July

Breeding Map: Breeding Bird Survey map

Song: A wheezy hissing p-tsssssshhh-uk. 

Migrations: An unusual summer distribution, with populations in the extreme Northern Plains and south-central Canada, and a disjunct population along the shores of Hudson Bay and in the New England area.  Winters along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Similar Species: Le Conte's Sparrow

Status: They are possibly vulnerable to habitat loss due to draining of wetlands, but populations are currently holding their own.

Further Information: 1) Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow

2) Cornell University's "All About Birds - Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow"

3) E-nature.com: Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Photo Information: Photo courtesy of Dave Cagnolatti.

Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl

This page was last edited on 01/26/08