Appearance: Swamp sparrows are small birds about 5-6″ long. They sport an array of colors including blue/gray on its head with a rust-colored crown and a black stripe that connects to the cone-shaped bill. The tail is brown and points up – legs are relatively long for a sparrow. The female looks the same.
Diet: Seeds, fruits & invertebrates.
Feeder food: They don’t usually visit feeders.
Habitat: As their name implies they prefer to be near water as well as vegetation near water.
Nesting: Nest is built in a patch of grass or reeds less than 3′ off the ground. Using plant fibers, rootlets, grasses, sedges and plant down, the female constructs the cup-shaped nest which will end up being about 3″ tall x 4″ wide and 1.5″ deep. They have 1-2 broods/season, 1-6 eggs/brood, eggs are bluish/green with spots. Incubation lasts 12-14 days and fledglings leave the nest after 7-14 days.
Range Map
