Swamp Sparrow
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[Photo] Swamp Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana from USFWS. Creator: Hollingsworth, John and Karen. From: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The Swamp Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana, is a medium-sized sparrow.

Adults have streaked rusty and black upperparts with a grey breast, light belly and a white throat. They have a rust-coloured cap and wings. Their face is grey with a dark line through the eye. They have a short bill and fairly long legs.

Their breeding habitat is marshes,including salt marshes, across eastern North America and central Canada. The bulky nest is attached to marsh vegetation, often with leaves arching over the top.

On the central Atlantic coast, in the southern parts of their summer range, they are permanent residents. Other birds migrate to the southern United States.

These birds forage on the ground, in the mud near the water's edge, in shallow water or in marsh vegetation. They mainly eat insects and seeds.

The song of this bird is a slow monotone trill, slower than that of the Chipping Sparrow.

This bird's numbers have declined due to habitat loss in some parts of its range.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp_Sparrow

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