Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)

County List:

Rule:

Forested or Nonforested Landscapes

      Marsh 2
      or Sedge Meadow
      or Lowland Brush
      or Bog

Habitat List:

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Literature:

Habitat: The Atlas Habitat Survey showed a decided preference of Swamp Sparrows for open wetlands of either sedges and grass or cattail in all three regions of the state. Shrub wetlands were also used, but in proportion to their frequency. Swamp Sparrows were also noted in wet conifer and deciduous forest but in very low frequency. Clearly, this sparrow has a narrow range of acceptable breeding habitat.

The nest is a bulky structure with a foundation of coarse grass and leaves and a lining of fine grass. It is usually placed above ground level in a grass tussock, cattails, or a shrub and nearly always over water. Most activities occur within the confines of the vegetation and are difficult to observe. Little is known about its feeding behavior; there are reports of birds wading in water while feeding on insects and floating seeds. There is also little known about the Swamp Sparrow's courtship and nesting behaviors. The male frequently sings from an exposed perch and this is the best indicator of its presence in any habitat. In fall migration, individuals can be seen in a variety of habitats, including old fields, pastures, fencerows, and dry uplands.

Habitat: Breeding: Marshes, swamps, bogs, sloughs with bushes, rank grasses, sedges or reeds, low swampy shores of lakes and streambanks. Usually near fresh water. Avoids heavily wooded wetlands.

Habitat: Fresh marshes with tussocks, bushes, or cattails; sedge swamps. Breeds mostly in freshwater marshes with good growth of sedges, grass, or cattails, often with thickets of alder or willow; sometimes in swampy thickets around ponds and rivers. During migration and winter found mainly in marshes, but also in streamside thickets, rank weedy fields.

Diet: Mostly insects and seeds. Feeds heavily on insects, perhaps more so than related sparrows, especially in summer. Diet includes many beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, ants, and many others, as well as other arthropods. Also eats many seeds, especially in fall and winter, including those of grasses, weeds, and sedges.

Nest: Placed in marsh vegetation such as cattails, sedge tussocks, or bushes, often directly above the water, up to 5 feet high; perhaps sometimes on the ground. Nest often has bulky foundation of coarse grass and other marsh plants, with inner cup of fine grass. Dead cattail blades or other leaves often arch over the nest, so that the birds must enter from the side.