Status:
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Threats to the SpeciesBelding’s sparrow is listed as endangered in California, but is not listed federally. The greatest threat is habitat loss; it is estimated that up to 75% of its habitat, coastal wetlands in California, has been destroyed and most of the remaining habitat is degraded or threatened.
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Range and HabitatRange: Savannah Sparrows are distributed all across North America, from Central America to Canada. This subspecies of the Savannah Sparrow is endemic to California.
Habitat: Belding’s Savannah Sparrow inhabits salt marshes in the Western United States; it is one of the few bird species that inhabits these salt marshes year-round in California. |
Behavior and Species InteractionsPrey: Belding’s Sparrow consumes insects, such as spiders, caterpillars, flies, beetles, and grasshoppers, and seeds main from grasses, weeds, and berries. The young sparrows are primarily fed insects. Generally considered foragers, the sparrows also occasionally catch insects in flight.
Nesting: Their nest sites are well hidden on the ground by herbaceous plants, sometimes even fully covered by a layer of dead vegetation so that it can only be approached from one side through a tunnel. Their nests are most commonly built in dense pickleweed. The nest itself is a small, open bowl made up of grasses of varying types. |
Life CycleSpring: February - March
Breeding. Males sing to attract females to his nesting area. Females prepare nests on the ground, hidden among vegetation. Mid Spring: March - April Females lay between two and six eggs per brood. They can lay either one or two broods per year. Late Spring Juveniles leave the nest between eight and eleven days after hatching. Juvenile stage. |
Resources
- Moore, Linda. "Savannah Sparrow." Savannah Sparrow. Humboldt State University, n.d. Web.
- "Savannah Sparrow." All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web.
- "Savannah Sparrow." Audubon. The Audubon Society, 13 Nov. 2014. Web.
- Zembel, Richard, and Susan Hoffman. A Survey of the Belding's Savannah Sparrow. (2002) Species Conservation and Recovery Program Report. Rep. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.