Seaside Sparrow

Dark grayish-brown upperparts with subtle streaking, gray underparts with faint breast streaks, a yellowish-buff supraloral spot in front of the eye, and a whitish throat bordered by dark malar stripes. Sexes are similar in appearance.

Dark overall appearance, gray underparts, yellowish spot in front of the eye, white throat, and a stout, pointed bill suited for marsh life.

Length: 12-15 cm (4.7-5.9 in), Wingspan: 18-21 cm (7.1-8.3 in), Weight: 18-30 g (0.6-1.1 oz)

A harsh, buzzed, introductory note followed by a rapid, wheezing trill that resembles the sound of a mechanical insect or a red-winged blackbird.

Insects, spiders, marine invertebrates, and seeds of saltmarsh plants. Forages on the mud or among vegetation.

Saltmarshes, brackish tidal marshes, and occasionally grassy coastal flats.

Mainly resident; northern populations make short-distance migrations south along the coast.

Builds an open cup nest woven from grasses, attached to vertical stems of cordgrass just above the high tide line. Clutch size is typically 3 to 4 eggs, with breeding occurring in spring and summer.

Saltmarsh Sparrow, which has a brighter orange face and sharper crown stripes. Nelson's Sparrow is also similar but features a brighter buffy-orange breast band.

Acts as an important indicator species for the health of saltmarsh ecosystems and helps control insect and small invertebrate populations.

Near Threatened (IUCN) due to habitat loss, sea-level rise, and coastal development. The dusky seaside sparrow subspecies is famously extinct.

Look for them perched on tall marsh grass stems during high tides when they are forced out of the lower vegetation. Listening for their distinctive buzzing song is often the easiest way to locate them.

The Seaside Sparrow is uniquely adapted to tidal marshes and can tolerate drinking brackish water when fresh water is scarce.