Swamp Sparrow

Fascinating facts about the Swamp Sparrow

• Their nests are engineering marvels: built about a foot above water, the outer framework averages 40 inches in diameter while the inner cup is just 2.4 inches across and 1.5 inches deep. This bulky, floating cradle protects four or five speckled eggs from flooding and ground predators. Such sturdy, yet lightweight, construction lets the species persist in both shallow freshwater marshes and deeper brackish swamps.
• Although a few individuals linger on the southern edge of their range year-round, virtually every swamp sparrow migrates to the southeastern United States for winter. While the overall population remains large and stable, loss of coastal salt marshes threatens the wintering grounds that sustain these migratory travelers.
• Tiny as a pocketknife, the swamp sparrow measures just 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm) long, weighs only 0.5-0.8 oz (15-23 g) and spans 7.1-7.5 in (18-19 cm) wing-to-wing.
• The southern edge of their breeding range lines up almost exactly with the Line of Maximum Glaciation, a relic of the last ice age.
• A true insect-hunter, the swamp sparrow's diet shifts dramatically with the seasons: 55 % of its winter meals are insects, jumping to 88 % in spring and early summer, then flipping to 84-97 % seeds by late summer and fall.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Animal Diversity Web
• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Swamp Sparrow

In the misty dawn of the wetlands, the Swamp Sparrow emerges as a fleck of brown and grey, its unassuming plumage belied by a spirited song that pours forth like a joyful libation to the morning. As it flits through the tangled vegetation, its short, square tail flicking back and forth like a metronome, the Swamp Sparrow moves with a quiet confidence, its bright, black eyes drinking in the secrets of its marshy realm. With each nimble hop, it weaves a subtle narrative of survival and adaptation, a testament to the enduring charm of this humble, yet resilient, wetland dweller.

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