Nelson'S Sparrow
EntdeckenVögel
Nelson'S Sparrow
ammospiza nelsoni
Nelson's Sparrow is a small, secretive songbird primarily associated with dense, wet grasses and marshes. Named after American naturalist Edward W. Nelson, this bird is notorious for its skulking behavior, often preferring to run mouse-like through thick marsh vegetation rather than take flight. It comprises three distinct breeding populations: one in the freshwater marshes of the North American interior prairies, one along the Hudson Bay, and one along the northern Atlantic coast. During migration and winter, they converge along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. They are a rewarding challenge for birders who have the patience to spot them, offering a beautiful splash of warm ochre and crisp gray plumage once they finally emerge from the reeds.
Lebensraum: Typically found in the dense, wet grasses of freshwater marshes, coastal estuaries, wet meadows, and saltmarshes.
Aussehen
Nelson's Sparrow is a compact sparrow measuring 11 to 13 centimeters in length. Its most striking feature is a bright ochre or orange-buff face, which contrasts strongly with a broad gray nape and dark brown crown stripes. The bird's back is richly patterned with dark brown and prominent white stripes, while the breast is a warm buff with relatively faint, blurry streaking that fades into a white belly. It features a relatively large bill and a short, spiky tail that aids in navigating through dense marsh grass.
ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseAvesOrdnungPasseriformesFamiliePasserellidaeGattungAmmospiza
Kategorie
VögelSeltenheit
Common
Gefahr
1/5 · Sehr gering
Snaps
Mach den ersten Snap!
Interessante Fakten
Because they are so reluctant to fly when flushed by humans or predators, they will often run through the mud beneath dense marsh grass exactly like a small rodent.
Nelson's Sparrow and the Saltmarsh Sparrow were once considered a single species known as the 'Sharp-tailed Sparrow' before being split into two distinct species in 1995.
Their unusual song is often described as sounding like a drop of cold water hitting a hot frying pan—a quiet, wheezy hiss.
There are three distinct breeding populations of Nelson’s Sparrow, and the birds of the interior prairies look surprisingly different in color saturation than those breeding on the Atlantic coast.
Besondere Fähigkeiten
Fähigkeit
Mouse-like Foraging
Navigates dense marsh vegetation by running quickly along the ground rather than flying, which helps it evade aerial predators.
Fähigkeit
Scramble Mating System
Males do not defend strict territories; instead, they roam widely across the marsh to find receptive females in a non-territorial mating strategy.
Fähigkeit
Saline Tolerance
Coastal and wintering populations have physiological adaptations to process high-salt diets, allowing them to thrive in tidal saltmarshes.
Maße und Details
- Länge
- 11-13 cm
- Flügelspannweite
- 17-20 cm
- Gewicht
- 0.013-0.017 kg
- Lebenserwartung
- 3-7 Jahre
- Top Speed
- 40 km/h
- Gelegegröße
- 3-5
- Brutzeit
- 11-12 Tage
- Zugstrecke
- 3500 km
Ernährung und Fütterung
Consumes a mix of insects and marine invertebrates during the breeding season, switching primarily to grass and weed seeds in the winter.
Altersunterschiede: Nestlings are fed an exclusively protein-rich diet consisting of insects and small invertebrates.
Hauptnahrung
- Insects
- Spiders
- Amphipods
- Marsh grass seeds
- Marine worms
Nahrungssuche
- Foraging
Ökologische Zusammenhänge
host plant
Smooth Cordgrass
Spartina alterniflora
Builds nests in and forages among smooth cordgrass.
eaten by
Northern Harrier
Circus hudsonius
Preyed upon by aerial predators hunting over open marshes.
competitor
Marsh Wren
Cistothorus palustris
Competes for resources and faces occasional nest destruction by aggressive territorial marsh wrens.
Merkmale
Für dieses Objekt sind noch keine Merkmal-Badges vergeben.
Auch bekannt als
Noch keine Alternativnamen vorhanden.
Sammlungen
Sammlungen für dieses Objekt erscheinen hier, wenn weitere Themen hinzugefügt werden.
Sicherheit
Gefahr
1/5 · Sehr gering
Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Wie identifiziert man Nelson'S Sparrow?
Der einfachste Weg, Nelson'S Sparrow zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.
Was ist der/die/das länge von Nelson'S Sparrow?
11-13 cm
Was ist der/die/das flügelspannweite von Nelson'S Sparrow?
17-20 cm
Was ist der/die/das gewicht von Nelson'S Sparrow?
0.013-0.017 kg
Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Nelson'S Sparrow?
3-7 Jahre
Was ist der/die/das top Speed von Nelson'S Sparrow?
40 km/h
Was frisst Nelson'S Sparrow?
Consumes a mix of insects and marine invertebrates during the breeding season, switching primarily to grass and weed seeds in the winter.
Wo findet man Nelson'S Sparrow normalerweise?
Typically found in the dense, wet grasses of freshwater marshes, coastal estuaries, wet meadows, and saltmarshes.
Snap-Karte
Zoome hinein, um Cluster aufzulösen und zu sehen, wo dieses Objekt fotografiert wurde.
Karte wird geladen…
Neueste Snaps
Neueste Snaps erscheinen hier, wenn neue Beobachtungen hinzukommen.
