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Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Adult--Upper parts greenish brown; a light gray line through centre of crown, which is brown; bend of wing light yellow; throat and belly white or whitish; breast light buffy brown with dark streaks. The tail feathers, as the bird's name implies, are very sharply pointed, the outer feathers being much shorter than those in the middle. Length--5.85.
Breeding Range--From South Carolina along the coast to New Hampshire.
The nest is placed on the ground in the sedge or grass in or near the salt marshes; it is built of dry sea-weed and grasses, fine grasses being used for the lining. 4 or 5 eggs are laid, usually 5; they are white or whitish with numerous fine brown or reddish spots chiefly at the larger end. Size--.77 x .55. See Fig. I, Plate B.
The Sharp-tailed Sparrow resembles the seaside sparrow in its choice of locality, being found always near the salt water, choosing for its nesting place either the brackish or salt-water swamps, or the sandy ground near the swamps, where it may be seen running in and out among the coarse grass, more like a mouse than a bird. Great care should be observed in identifying the nests, as they may easily be mistaken for the nests of the seaside sparrow, both birds generally breeding near each other in the same swamp. The eggs of the sharp-tailed sparrow are somewhat smaller and more finely marked; the nest is usually placed where it is rather drier; it is also more bulky.
The breeding season lasts from May to late July, two broods being reared during that period. The young may be found until well into August.