Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Common
Name: Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (SSTS)
Scientific
Name:
Ammodramus caudacutus
Global/Continental
Conservation Status: IUCN
2004 Red List – VU (Vulnerable)
National-level
Conservation Status:
U.S.
– Bird of Conservation Concern
Key
Reference(s):
BNA No. 112 (Greenlaw and Rising 1994); NOTE:
this was written before the split of the Sharp-tailed Sparrow into
the Saltmarsh and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows
Distribution:
Breeds along Atlantic coast from s
Maine
south to
North Carolina
; Winters in coastal marshes from
New York
south to c-e coast of
Florida
, rarely on eastern Gulf coast (AOU 1998)
Habitat
Associations:
salt marshes (AOU 1998)
Source(s)
of Research/monitoring Needs (Number in ( ) is Physiographic Area number):
Mid Atlantic Coastal Plain Bird Conservation Plan (44);
East Gulf Coastal Plain Bird Conservation Plan (04); South Atlantic
Coastal Plain Bird Conservation Plan (03); Southern New England Bird
Conservation Plan (9); BNA No. 112 (Greenlaw and Rising 1994); Note: the
BNA listed further needs focused on geographic differences in populations
that now are separate species; PIF Monitoring Needs document (Partners in
Flight Science Committee 2004)
PIF
Continental Plan Monitoring Needs Category: Mo2
(BBS trends have very low precision)
RESEARCH/MONITORING NEEDS (source(s) of needs)
Monitoring
- Priority
monitoring action – Conduct species-specific surveys (PIF Monitoring
Needs doc)
- Targeted
monitoring system for high-marsh species, including SSTS, to better
estimate population sizes and evaluate trends (Mid Atlantic Coastal
Plains;
Southern New England
)
- High
priority candidate for rapid status assessment (PIF Monitoring Needs
doc)
- Survey
& monitor important species in emergent wetlands throughout area,
including wintering SSTS (East Gulf Coastal Plains; South Atlantic
Coastal Plain)
Habitat Needs/Ecology/Life History
- Determine
habitat requirements of salt marsh species suite (including SSTS) (Mid
Atlantic Coastal Plains)
Effects of Management Practices
- Integrate
the results of SSTS monitoring with Black Duck monitoring to develop a
comprehensive management plan including SSTS (South Atlantic Coastal
Plains)
- Determine
effects of land use practices (ditching, impounding, dredging, open
marsh water management, burning) on SSTS abundance & distribution
(
Southern New England
; BNA)
- Determine
optimal management practices for SSTS (
Southern New England
)
- See
“Habitat Restoration”
Landscape
- Investigate
importance of landscape-level process to distribution of low-marsh
species (including SSTS) (Mid Atlantic Coastal Plains)
Wintering
- Further
information on winter ecology and wintering ranges (BNA)
- See
needs under “Monitoring”
Invasives/Exotics/Disease/Parasites/Contaminants
- Assess
potential impacts of invasive plants on salt-marsh species (including
SSTS) (Mid Atlantic Coastal Plains)
Demographics
- Study
productivity & survival to understand limiting factors (
Southern New England
)
Habitat Restoration
- Investigate
effectiveness of wetland restoration on low-marsh species (including
SSTS) (Mid Atlantic
Coastal Plains; BNA)
Global Change
- Investigate
possible impacts of rising ocean levels from global climate change on
salt marsh species including SSTS (
Southern New England
; Mid Atlantic Coastal Plains)
[Link
to References]
[Link
to PIF Bird Conservation Plans]
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