Special Sparrow
I filmed the birds in this video in the unmowed tract of tall vegetation south of the flare station. See Doomed Blackbirds. One species of the Savannah Sparrow is a California Species of Special Concern due to habitat loss. Marshland was historically the preferred breeding habitat of the species. As wetlands have been drained and developed, these birds’ population has declined. The local population breeds on dry land near bodies of water. The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) classifies the Savannah Sparrow as a threatened species.
Savannah Sparrows build tiny nests on the ground under dense vegetation. Nests are generally covered so as to be invisible from above; access is via a tunnel from a side. These sparrows eat bugs in spring and summer. They’ll also hunt for tiny creatures in the tidal mud. They feed bugs to their young. In winter they switch to a diet mostly of seeds.
Links: Wikipedia Cornell bird lab Audubon.org
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