Home › Volumes › Bird Homes › Open Nests on the Ground, in Open Fields, Marshes, and Generally Open Country
Seaside Sparrow
Adult--General appearance dusky gray; upper parts grayish; tail brown with narrow, sharply pointed feathers; throat and breast gray, slightly streaked with darker gray; belly white, shading into gray at sides; light yellow patch in front of eye and at bend of wing; the toes are rather long, and the bill is long and slightly thicker than the sharp-tailed sparrow's, though much the same shape. Length--6.00.
Breeding Range--Along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina northward, rarely on the coast of Massachusetts.
Nest, resembling closely that of the sharp-tailed sparrow, only not so bulky, placed on the ground in or near brackish or salt water swamps, built of reeds and grasses lined with fine grass. Usually 4 eggs are laid; they are white or whitish, finely speckled with light reddish brown and lilac. Size--.80 x .63. See Fig. II, Plate B.
All that has been said of the sharp-tailed sparrow applies equally to these lovers of the sea-coast. In exceptional cases the nests are said to be found arched over.