Distribution

Breeding Range

Figure 1. In Canada, breeds in appropriate habitats south of tree line, north to west-central Northwest Territories (24 Godfrey, W. E. (1986). The Birds of Canada. Revised Edition. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Close ), southeastern Yukon Territory (41 Sinclair, P. H., W. A. Nixon, C. D. Eckert, and N. L. Hughes (Editors) (2003). Birds of the Yukon Territory. UBC Press, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Close ), northeastern British Columbia (42 Davidson, P. J. A., R. J. Cannings, A. R. Couturier, D. Lepage, and C. M. Di Corrado (Editors) (2015). The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of British Columbia, 2008–2012. Bird Studies Canada, Delta, BC, Canada. Close ), northern Saskatchewan (43 Smith, A. R. (1996). Atlas of Saskatchewan Birds. Saskatchewan Natural History Society Special Publications 22, Regina, SK, Canada. Close ), northern Manitoba (44 Artuso, C., A. R. Couturier, K. D. De Smet, R. F. Koes, D. Lepage, J. McCracken, R. D. Mooi, and P. Taylor (Editors) (2018). The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Manitoba, 2010–2014. Bird Studies Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Close ), islands in the southern James Bay (Nunavut; 45 Richards, J. M., and A. J. Gaston (Editors) (2018). Birds of Nunavut. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Close ), northern Ontario (46 Cadman, M. D., D. A. Sutherland, G. G. Beck, D. Lepage, and A. R. Couturier (Editors) (2007). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario 2001–2005. Bird Studies Canada, Environment Canada, Ontario Field Ornithologists, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ontario Nature, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Close ), central Quebec (47 Gauthier, J., and Y. Aubry (1996). Les Oiseaux Nicheurs du Québec: Atlas des Oiseaux Nicheurs du Québec Meridional. Environnment Canada, Région du Québec: Association Québécoise des groupes d'ornithologues, Sociétié Québécoise de protection des oiseaux, Service Canadien de la Faune, Quebec, Canada. Close ), central and southern Labrador (48 Todd, W. E. C. (1963). Birds of the Labrador Peninsula and Adjacent Areas: A Distributional List. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON, Canada. Close , 24 Godfrey, W. E. (1986). The Birds of Canada. Revised Edition. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Close ), northern Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton Island (49 Stewart, R. L. M., K. A. Bredin, A. R. Couturier, A. G. Horn, D. Lepage, S. Makepeace, P. D. Taylor, M. Villard, and R. M. Whittam (2015). Second Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritime Provinces. Environment Canada, Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island, Nature New Brunswick, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia Bird Society, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Prince Edward Island Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Close ). Breeds south through eastern British Columbia to Quesnel (W. Campbell, personal communication), to south-central Alberta (50 Federation of Alberta Naturalists (2007). Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta: A Second Look. Federation of Alberta Naturalists, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Close ), and Saskatchewan, to and including Aspen Parkland ecotone between boreal forest and grasslands (24 Godfrey, W. E. (1986). The Birds of Canada. Revised Edition. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Close , 43 Smith, A. R. (1996). Atlas of Saskatchewan Birds. Saskatchewan Natural History Society Special Publications 22, Regina, SK, Canada. Close ).

In the central and eastern United States, breeds south to eastern North Dakota (51 Stewart, R. E. (1975). Breeding Birds of North Dakota. Tri-College Center for Environmental Studies, Fargo, North Dakota, USA. Close ) and eastern South Dakota (52 Peterson, R. A. (1995). The South Dakota Breeding Bird Atlas. South Dakota Ornithologists' Union, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND, USA. Close ) to northeastern Nebraska (53 Mollhoff, W. (2001). The Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas, 1984–1989. Nebraska Ornithologist's Union Occasional Papers, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, NB, USA. Close ), central Iowa (54 Jackson, L. S., C. A. Thompson, and J. J. Dinsmore (1996). The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, IA, USA. Close ), northern Illinois, northern Indiana (55 Mumford, R. E., and C. E. Keller (1984). The Birds of Indiana. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN, USA. Close ), northwestern Ohio to east-central Ohio (56 Rodewald, P. G., M. B. Shumar, A. T. Boone, D. L. Slager, and J. S. McCormac (Editors) (2016). The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Ohio. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, PA, USA. Close ), northeastern West Virginia and south in suitable habitats in mountainous regions to south-central West Virginia (57 Buckelew, A. R., Jr., and G. A. Hall (1994). The West Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Close ), and to coastal Maryland (58 Ellison, W. G. (Editor) (2010). 2nd Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA. Close ). Breeds from Nanticoke River basin in eastern Maryland (27 Greenberg, R., and S. Droege (1990). Adaptations to the tidal marshes in breeding populations of the Swamp Sparrow. Condor 92:393–404. Close , 58 Ellison, W. G. (Editor) (2010). 2nd Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA. Close ) north along Atlantic Coast to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland (59 Laughlin, S. P., and D. P. Kibbe (1985). The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Vermont. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH, USA. Close , 24 Godfrey, W. E. (1986). The Birds of Canada. Revised Edition. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Close , 60 Adamus, P. R. (1987). Atlas of Breeding Birds in Maine, 1978–1983. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Augusta, ME, USA. Close , 61 Andrle, R. F., and J. R. Carroll (1998). The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA. Close , 62 Erskine, A. J. (1992). Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritime Provinces. Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, NS, Canada. Close , 63 Veit, R. R., and W. R. Petersen (1993). The Birds of Massachusetts. Massachussetts Audubon Society, Lincoln, Massachusetts, USA. Close , 64 Bevier, L. R. (1994). The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Connecticut. State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut, Bulletin 113. Close ).

Also breeds very locally in central and northern Nebraska (65 Johnsgard, P. A. (1979). Birds of the Great Plains: Breeding Species and their Distribution. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, USA. Close ), central Illinois (66 Bohlen, H. D. (1989). The Birds of Illinois. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN, USA. Close ), central Indiana (Indiana Breeding Bird Atlas, unpublished data), in mountain counties (Bath, Washington, Highland, and Fairfax) of Virginia (Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas, unpublished data), and probably in other areas south of main breeding range.

M. g. nigrescens restricted to fresh, brackish and tidal marshes of the mid-Atlantic Coast (27 Greenberg, R., and S. Droege (1990). Adaptations to the tidal marshes in breeding populations of the Swamp Sparrow. Condor 92:393–404. Close , 67 Beadell, J., R. Greenberg, S. Droege, and J. A. Royle (2003). Distribution, abundance, and habitat affinities of the Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow. Wilson Bulletin 115:38–44. Close , 68 Watts, B. D., M. D. Wilson, F. M. Smith, B. J. Paxton, and J. B. Williams (2008). Breeding range extension of the Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120:393–395. Close ). Ranges as far north as the Hudson River region to the southern extent of the south and western regions of the Chesapeake Bay. Highest densities of M. g. nigrescens reported along the Mullica River region of New Jersey, the coastal estuaries along coast of the Delaware Bay, the southern Delaware River, Tuckahoe River, and northern Chesapeake Bay (27 Greenberg, R., and S. Droege (1990). Adaptations to the tidal marshes in breeding populations of the Swamp Sparrow. Condor 92:393–404. Close , 67 Beadell, J., R. Greenberg, S. Droege, and J. A. Royle (2003). Distribution, abundance, and habitat affinities of the Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow. Wilson Bulletin 115:38–44. Close , 68 Watts, B. D., M. D. Wilson, F. M. Smith, B. J. Paxton, and J. B. Williams (2008). Breeding range extension of the Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120:393–395. Close ).

Wintering Range

Figure 1. Winters north in eastern North America, at elevations below 305 m (69 Root, T. (1988). Atlas of Wintering North American Birds: An Analysis of Christmas Bird Count Data. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, USA. Close ), to central Iowa; southern Wisconsin south of a line from Prairie du Chien to Sheboygan (70 Robbins, S. D., Jr. (1991). Wisconsin Birdlife: Population and Distribution, Past and Present. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Close ); central Lower Peninsula of Michigan south of a line from Grand Rapids to Port Huron (Christmas Bird Count [CBC] data); southernmost Ontario north to London and Toronto; central New York south of a line from Buffalo to Schenectady; Massachusetts; and coastal New Hampshire; but largely absent from central portions of New York, Pennsylvania, and mountainous portions of eastern West Virginia (CBC data). Also winters farther north in coastal areas of central and southern Nova Scotia and extreme eastern New Brunswick (CBC data). Winters along the Atlantic Coast south to south-central Florida (Tampa Bay, Lakeland, Orlando, and Cocoa); the Gulf Coast, and northern Mexico to central Veracruz, northern Guerrero, and northern Jalisco (71 Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA. Close , 12 Rising, J. D. (1996). A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada. Academic Press, NY, USA. Close ). Winters west to extreme southeastern Nebraska along Missouri River to Omaha (CBC data), northeastern and south-central Kansas, central Oklahoma, all but northwestern Texas, the lower Pecos River and Rio Grande valleys of New Mexico (72 Hubbard, J. P. (1978). Revised check-list of the birds of New Mexico. New Mexico Ornithological Society Publication 6, New Mexico, USA. Close , CBC data), and in Mexico to central Chihuahua, central Durango, and southwestern Nayarit (71 Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA. Close ). Regular in low numbers along Pacific Coast and adjacent interior from southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, south to San Diego County, California (numbers vary from year to year; 73 Weber, W. C., D. Kragh, and D. M. Mark (1980). First Swamp Sparrow record for the Vancouver area. Discovery 9:28–29. Close , 74 Fix, D. (1992). Notes on observing Swamp Sparrows. Oregon Birds 18:103. Close , 75 Lehman, P. E. (1994). The Birds of Santa Barbara County, California. University of California, Santa Barbara Vertebrate Museum, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Close , 76 Small, A. (1994). California Birds: Their Status and Distribution. Ibis Publishing Company, Vista, California, USA. Close , CBC data); around Salton Sea in southeastern California (76 Small, A. (1994). California Birds: Their Status and Distribution. Ibis Publishing Company, Vista, California, USA. Close ); along lower Colorado River from Parker, Arizona, south (33 Rosenberg, K. V., R. D. Ohmart, W. C. Hunter, and B. W. Anderson (1991). Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ, USA. Close ); in southeastern Arizona (CBC data). Also winters in very small numbers at lower elevations along front range of central and eastern Colorado, and upper Platte River in western Nebraska (CBC data). Stable-isotope analysis and field studies identified wintering grounds of M. g. nigrescens to be restricted to the coastal mid-Atlantic, from southern Virginia to South Carolina (37 Greenberg, R., P. P. Marra, and M. J. Wooler (2007). Stable-isotope (C, N, H) analyses help locate the winter range of the Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana nigrescens). Auk 124:1137–1148. Close ).

Rare and local in winter north of regular winter range. Casual to rare in interior western North America from southwestern British Columbia and Montana south to northern Sonora, Mexico (71 Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA. Close , 77 Ellis, J., C. Jones, D. Genter, J. Reichel, B. Spettigue, and D. Sullivan (1996). P. D. Skaar's Montana Bird Distribution, 5th edition. Special publication no. 3, Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT, USA. Close , 78 American Ornithologists' Union (1998). Check-list of North American Birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA. Close , CBC data). Rare in Bermuda (79 Amos, E. J. R. (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Bermuda. Corncrake, Warwick, Bermuda. Close , 78 American Ornithologists' Union (1998). Check-list of North American Birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA. Close ) and casual in the Bahamas (78 American Ornithologists' Union (1998). Check-list of North American Birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA. Close ).

Breeding Range

Distribution of breeding populations of M. g. nigrescens (see Systematics: Subspecies) reported by Greenberg and Droege (27 Greenberg, R., and S. Droege (1990). Adaptations to the tidal marshes in breeding populations of the Swamp Sparrow. Condor 92:393–404. Close ) from eastern Maryland north to Hudson River may represent range extension from those reported in eastern Maryland and adjacent Delaware by Stewart and Robbins (80 Stewart, R. E., and C. S. Robbins (1958). Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia. North American Fauna 62. Close ). In addition, the known breeding range of M. g. nigrescens expanded south from Maryland to include the western and southern coasts of the Chesapeake Bay (67 Beadell, J., R. Greenberg, S. Droege, and J. A. Royle (2003). Distribution, abundance, and habitat affinities of the Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow. Wilson Bulletin 115:38–44. Close , 68 Watts, B. D., M. D. Wilson, F. M. Smith, B. J. Paxton, and J. B. Williams (2008). Breeding range extension of the Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120:393–395. Close ). Whether these represent true range expansions is unknown, but it is most likely the result of intense field studies to understand the true distribution of the subspecies.

Recorded breeding in northeastern Missouri during early 1900s (dates uncertain), but not confirmed breeding in state since then (81 Robbins, M. B., and D. A. Easterla (1992). Birds of Missouri: Their Distribution and Abundance. University of Missouri Press, Columbia, MO, USA. Close ).

Testing for effects of climate change on breeding distribution, Hitch and Leberg (82 Hitch, A. T., and P. L. Leberg (2007). Breeding distributions of North American bird species moving north as a result of climate change. Conservation Biology 21:534–539. Close ) reported that Swamp Sparrow had an insignificant northward (24.12 km ± 44.53) distribution shift from 1967–2002 (P = 0.585).

Wintering Range

Wintering range in southwestern and western United States and in Mexico is not well defined, because suitable habitat is often widely dispersed. Niven et al. (83 Niven, D. K., J. R. Sauer, G. S. Butcher, and W. A. Link (2004). Christmas bird count provides insights into population change in land birds that breed in the boreal forest. American Birds 58:10–20. Close ) found a northern expansion of winter range from 1965–2003, with a significant decline in Florida. However, increasingly regular winter sightings of Swamp Sparrows in many areas (upper Rio Grande and lower Pecos River valleys, New Mexico; lower Colorado River valley; coastal and near-coastal areas in California; Mono Basin, northern California; coastal areas and Willamette River valley, Oregon; coastal Washington; and southwestern British Columbia) suggest that the species winters throughout the area at lower elevations in suitable habitats (72 Hubbard, J. P. (1978). Revised check-list of the birds of New Mexico. New Mexico Ornithological Society Publication 6, New Mexico, USA. Close , 73 Weber, W. C., D. Kragh, and D. M. Mark (1980). First Swamp Sparrow record for the Vancouver area. Discovery 9:28–29. Close , 33 Rosenberg, K. V., R. D. Ohmart, W. C. Hunter, and B. W. Anderson (1991). Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ, USA. Close , 74 Fix, D. (1992). Notes on observing Swamp Sparrows. Oregon Birds 18:103. Close , 75 Lehman, P. E. (1994). The Birds of Santa Barbara County, California. University of California, Santa Barbara Vertebrate Museum, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Close , 76 Small, A. (1994). California Birds: Their Status and Distribution. Ibis Publishing Company, Vista, California, USA. Close , 84 Gilligan, J. D., M. Rogers, A. Smith, and A. Contreras (1994). Birds of Oregon: Status and Distribution. Cinclus Publications, McMinnville, Oregon, USA. Close , 85 Wahl, T. R., B. Tweit, and S. G. Mlodinow (2005). Birds of Washington: Status and Distribution. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR, USA. Close , CBC data). For example, winter records in Oregon increased from 1 or more per year in 1970s to several per year in early 1980s to dozens per year in late 1980s, and even higher totals in early 1990s (84 Gilligan, J. D., M. Rogers, A. Smith, and A. Contreras (1994). Birds of Oregon: Status and Distribution. Cinclus Publications, McMinnville, Oregon, USA. Close ). Similarly, the species was unrecorded in Washington state until 1973, but is now rare in winter west of the Cascade Mountains (numbers highly variable from year-to-year), and very rare east of the Cascades (85 Wahl, T. R., B. Tweit, and S. G. Mlodinow (2005). Birds of Washington: Status and Distribution. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR, USA. Close ). Whether these western records represent an expansion in winter range or simply greater coverage or reporting by birders is unclear.