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ODNR Division of Wildlife - Fishing - Trout Stockings
ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow

 Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow

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This is a secretive sparrow, skulking in the marsh vegetation and difficult to glimpse. They are more frequent than thought, but there are only a handful of sightings each year, mostly in the fall. The best shot at seeing one is to search dense vegetation -- including giant reed (Phragmites) -- in late May and late September/ early October in marshes along Lake Erie.
 

Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Ammodramus nelsoni

At-a-Glance

• Incubation: 11 days

• Young Fledge: 10 days after hatching
Description
This sparrow has an orange face and throat, and gray cheeks; the crown and nape of the neck are gray. The breast and sides are buffy with streaks. The tail is short.

Habitat and Habits
This sparrow inhabits the dense vegetation of marshes, wet sedge meadows, damp fields, and sometimes drier overgrown fields. The hoarse insect-like song is almost never heard here, being sung primarily on the breeding grounds.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
This species nests low to the ground in wetlands. The nest is an open cup.