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Swamp Sparrow
Melospiza georgiana
At-a-Glance
• Incubation: 12-15 days
• Clutch Size: 3-6 eggs
• Young Fledge: 11-13 days after hatching
• Typical Foods: insects and seeds
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Description
This is a somewhat difficult sparrow to identify because it has no one distinctive feature and is rather shy. A red cap, a whitish throat, and a rusty back and wings are the best field marks.
Habitat and Habits
The aptly named swamp sparrow is an occupant of shrubby swamps, bogs, and brushy margins of ponds and lakes, but is not restricted to habitats dominated by woody vegetation. Breeding pairs frequently establish territories in cattail marshes and wet meadows dominated by grasses and sedges as long as some shrubby thickets are scattered within the area. The song is a soft trill all on one note, suggestive of the song of the chipping sparrow, but more musical.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
Most swamp sparrows begin nest construction in early May and fledglings usually appear about one month later. The nest is a grassy cup well hidden on the ground in marsh vegetation. The blue-green eggs, marked with brown splotches, number four or five. |
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