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Nelson's Sparrow

Ammodramus nelsoni ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: EMBERIZIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

A secretive sparrow with a brightly-colored face, the Nelson's Sparrow breeds along the edges of freshwater marshes and in wet meadows of interior North America, and in salt marshes along the northern Atlantic Coast.

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Appearance

Sparrows
Sparrows
Typical Voice

Adult Description

  • Small, stocky songbird.
  • Orange-yellow face.
  • Gray ear patch.
  • Smudgy streaks on breast and flanks.
  • Short, rounded tail with pointed tail feathers.

Immature Description

Juvenile orangish all over, with a few black streaks on sides of chest.

Range Map Help

Nelson
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Field MarksHelp

  • Adult
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    Nelson's Sparrow

    Adult
    • © 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Tuckerton, New Jersey

Similar Species

  • Saltmarsh Sparrow very similar, but has whiter chest with crisp dark streaks on chest and sides.
  • Seaside Sparrow larger, grayer, less strongly marked, with small yellow patch in front of eyes.
  • Savannah Sparrow has striped head and notched tail.
  • Le Conte's Sparrow with white central crown stripe, purplish spots and streaks on nape, and small grayish face patch.