Swamp Sparrow
A species of Round-tailed Sparrows Scientific name : Melospiza georgiana Genus : Round-tailed Sparrows
Swamp Sparrow, A species of Round-tailed Sparrows
Botanical name: Melospiza georgiana
Genus: Round-tailed Sparrows
Content
Description People often ask General Info
Photo By Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren , used under CC-BY-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
Measurements: Length: 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm) Weight: 0.5-0.8 oz (15-23 g) Wingspan: 7.1-7.5 in (18-19 cm) Adults have streaked rusty, buff and black upperparts with an unstreaked gray breast, light belly and a white throat. The wings are strikingly rusty. Most males and a few females have rust-colored caps. Their face is gray with a dark line through the eye. They have a short bill and fairly long legs. Immature birds and winter adults usually have two brown crown stripes and much of the gray is replaced with buff. Swamp sparrows breed across the northern United States and boreal Canada. The southern edge of their breeding range coincides largely with the Line of Maximum Glaciation. A small number of morphologically distinct birds inhabit tidal marshes from northern Virginia to the Hudson River Estuary. This subspecies (M. g. nigrescens) winters in coastal marshes of the Carolinas and differs from the two inland swamp sparrow subspecies in having more black in a grayer overall plumage, larger bill, different songs, and a smaller average clutch size. Their breeding habitat is marshes, including brackish marshes, across eastern North America and central Canada. The bulky nest is attached to marsh vegetation, often just above the ground or surface of the water with leaves or grass arching over the top. The female builds a new nest each year and lays an average of four eggs per clutch. Females give a series of chips as they leave the nest, probably to ward off attacks by their mate or neighboring males. While swamp sparrows can be found year-round in small numbers on the southern edge of their breeding range, individuals are probably all migratory, primarily migrating to the southeastern United States. Swamp sparrows generally forage on the ground near the water's edge, in shallow water or in marsh vegetation. In winter, their diet is principally fruit and seeds, while during the breeding season their diet is mainly arthropods. The song of the swamp sparrow is a slow monotone trill, slower than that of the chipping sparrow. A male can have a repertoire of several different trills. The common call note is a loud chip reminiscent of a phoebe. This bird's numbers have declined due to habitat loss in some parts of its range. 
Size
12-15 cm (4.75-5.75 in)
Colors
Brown
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
6 years
Nest Placement
Shrub
Clutch Size
1 - 6 eggs
Incubation Period
1 - 2 broods
Number of Broods
12 - 14 days
Nestling Period
7 - 14 days
Feeding Habits
Swamp Sparrow primarily consume seeds, fruits, and invertebrates. Their diet shifts seasonally, with up to 85% plant matter in winter and similar proportions of animal matter during spring and early summer. Their diet includes a variety of insects such as ants, bees, wasps, beetles, and caterpillars, as well as aquatic invertebrates. Swamp Sparrow also feed on blueberries and diverse seeds. They forage on the ground, in vegetation, and wade into water for prey.
Habitat
Swamp Sparrow predominantly inhabit wetlands, thriving in fresh marshes laden with tussocks, shrubs, or cattails, as well as in sedgy swamps. These birds favor environments with patches of open water, shrub-dotted fens, and bogs, primarily peat bogs absent of significant open water. During breeding, their preferred locales include freshwater marshes with tall vegetation such as cattail, sedges, reeds, rushes, or grasses, typically bordered by willows or alders. In the mid-Atlantic's brackish marshes, swamp Sparrow can be found nesting in areas abundant with salt-meadow hay and sparse shrubbery. Migratory paths may lead swamp Sparrow to coastal fallouts, far from their usual wetland habitats, associating with other sparrow species.
Nest Behavior
In swamp Sparrow's nesting behavior, the female selects the site and exclusively builds the nest, while the male may supply materials. The well-hidden nests are built with overhanging vegetation providing further concealment from predators.
Nest Characteristics
Swamp Sparrow constructs a concealed nest within vegetation like grass or reeds, occasionally in shrubs, often less than 3 feet high, sometimes on the ground. The nest features a fine interior of grasses, hair, rootlets, and plant materials, with a coarser exterior including cattails and twigs. It measures about 3 inches in height, 4.25 inches across, with a 2.25-inch wide and 1.6-inch deep cup.
Dite type
Insectivorous
People often ask
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird Feeder Type
Platform
Sounds
Call
Recording location: United States
Behavior
Swamp Sparrow have a daily routine that revolves around their marshy environments, often starting their vocal displays from elevated perches well before the sun rises and sometimes into the night. These birds fiercely defend their territories, especially in early spring, showcasing aggressive interactions with both conspecifics and other wetland species. They exhibit remarkable agility within their dense habitats, foraging with ease at water’s edge or under vegetation for seeds and insects, and demonstrating a preference for running rather than flying when disturbed. Intruders may prompt swamp Sparrow to seek refuge in nearby shrubs, from where they keep a vigilant eye on potential threats.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Photo By Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren , used under CC-BY-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
New world sparrows Genus
Round-tailed Sparrows Species
Swamp Sparrow 
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