Beak of the Week – Nelson’s Sparrow

Nelson’s Sparrows are small, colorful sparrows of wet, dense grasslands and marshes. They are white below with orange chests and sides, and their orange faces contrast with their gray cheeks. They are quite round, with short, spiky tails. LeConte’s Sparrows are similar in appearance, but can be distinguished from Nelson’s Sparrows by the white stripe running down the center of their crown (Nelson’s have a gray crown stripe). During the breeding season, males sing a relatively simple song that consists of a short, hissing trill. Males will also frequently perform flight displays during the breeding season, during which they sing a flight song that is relatively longer and more complex than their typical song.

There are three geographically distinct populations of Nelson’s Sparrows: two “Interior” forms that nest in freshwater wetlands in the Great Plains and along Hudson Bay and James Bay, and an “Atlantic” form that nests in saltwater or brackish tidal marshes along the northern Atlantic Coast in New England and Canada. All three populations spend the winter months in saltmarshes of the southeastern United States.

Loss of marsh and grassland habitat is the primary threat to these handsome sparrows. During the winter, you can find them on the Bolivar Peninsula at Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary and the 17th Street Jetty, as well as Horseshoe Marsh and along Frenchtown Road (adjacent to Horseshoe Marsh).