Species
Swamp sparrow
Melospiza georgiana
A rusty-winged sparrow of marshes and wet thickets that winters commonly in Georgia.
Photo Cephas (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 12 to 15 cm long
- Weight
- About 11 to 23 g
- Habitat
- Marshes, wet fields and thickets
- Diet
- Insects and seeds
- In Georgia
- A common winter visitor
- Voice
- A slow, musical trill
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Rusty wings; grey face; dark streaked back; plain grey breast
- Told apart from
- Song sparrow, which has a streaked breast
- Where to look
- Marsh edges and wet thickets in winter
Behaviour
Swamp sparrows wade into shallow water to catch insects.
Why they matter
Swamp sparrows are adapted to wet habitats and are a common winter bird in Georgia's marshes.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup in marsh vegetation
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 12 to 14 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — A few years
Living around people
- Wet thickets and marsh edges left undisturbed support them.
Misconceptions
- Sparrows avoid water. Swamp sparrows wade.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Wintering | Wintering | Wintering | Leaving | Nesting in the north | Nesting | Young fledging | Present in the north | Migrating | Arriving | Wintering | Wintering |
Where it lives
Recorded in 60 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamain winter
- Arizonain winter
- Arkansasin winter
- Coloradoin winter
- Connecticut
- Delawarein winter
- District of Columbiain winter
- Floridain winter
- Georgiain winter
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansasin winter
- Kentuckyin winter
- Louisianain winter
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandin winter
- Massachusetts
- Michiganbreeding
- Minnesotabreeding
- Mississippiin winter
- Missouriin winter
- Nebraska
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jersey
- New Mexicoin winter
- New Yorkbreeding
- North Carolinain winter
- North Dakotabreeding
- Ohio
- Oklahomain winter
- Oregonin winter
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolinain winter
- South Dakotabreeding
- Tennesseein winter
- Texasin winter
- Vermontbreeding
- Virginiain winter
- West Virginia
- Wisconsinbreeding
Canada
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