Nelson's sparrow
| Nelson's sparrow | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| At Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Missouri, United States | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Emberizidae |
| Genus: | Ammodramus |
| Species: | A. nelsoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Ammodramus nelsoni Allen, 1875 | |
Nelson's sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni) is a small American sparrow. This bird was named after Edward William Nelson, an American naturalist. Formerly, this bird and the saltmarsh sparrow were considered to be a single species, the sharp-tailed sparrow; because of this it was briefly known as Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow.
Adults have brownish upperparts with gray on the crown and nape, a cream-colored breast with light or indistinct streaking and a white throat and belly; they have an orange face with gray cheeks and a short pointed tail.
Their breeding habitat is marshes on the Atlantic coast of Canada and Maine, central Canada, (the Canadian Prairies region and a coastal strip on the south of Hudson Bay), and the north central United States. The nest is an open cup attached to vegetation and close to the ground. Males compete for females but do not defend territories; they sometimes help feed the young. Mating is largely promiscuous by both sexes; multiple paternity in a nest is common.
These birds migrate to the southeastern coasts of the United States. They forage on the ground or in marsh vegetation, sometimes probing in mud and eat mainly insects, aquatic invertebrates and seeds. Their call is a raspy trill, almost a mechanical sound. It may be given in flight during the nesting season. The sound has been likened to a drop of water hitting a hot fry pan.
In popular culture
- "Nelson's Sparrow" is an episode from the tenth season of the CBS-TV crime drama series, Criminal Minds. The title refers to the favored non-human quarry of the episode's serial killer who enjoys stalking the birds because of their habit of denying their fight or flight instinct in favor of sitting still or running away on foot when confronted by a predator.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Ammodramus nelsoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
External links
- Nelson's sparrow species account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow - Ammodramus nelsoni - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow photos VIREO
- Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow, Cape Jourimain Nature Centre, New Brunswick
- A photo-essay at North American Birds