Bird field guide > Bird identification [S-T] > Sparrow, Swamp bird pictures

Sparrow, Swamp bird pictures

SWAMP SPARROW
58I. Melospiza georgiana. 5 3/4 inches

Forehead black; crown chestnut with a gray median stripe; whole upper parts very dark; under parts grayish with brown sides.

A very quiet and unobtrusive species that dwells, as its name implies, chiefly in swamp's.

They creep about under the rank weeds and underbrush like so many mice; they are especially fond of the soft mires where walking is so difficult for human beings; they patter around on the soft mud with evident enjoyment, occasionally walking across an open space of water on what floating debris they may find available.

Song. - A feeble chant; call, a sharp metallic cheep.

Nest. - Of grasses, on the ground in damp places; four or five eggs, having a pale greenish-blue color heavily blotched and clouded with shades of brown (.80 x .55).

Range. - N.A. east of the Plains, breeding from New Jersey and Missouri north to Labrador and Hudson Bay; winters in southern half of the U.S.