eye and a white streak and black whisker along 

 the jaw. The ventral coloration is light gray to 

 nearly white, with darker streaking on breast and 

 sides. It tends to be greener above and whiter 

 below than other races of seaside sparrows. The 

 sexes are similar. 



Immature birds are streaked dorsally with 

 brown to light buff, with less streaking on Hght 

 underparts. The yellow eye spot and dark whisker 

 are reduced or absent. 



Color illustrations appear in Holt and Sutton 

 (1926), Howell (1932), Peterson (1947), and 

 Sprunt (1954); Werner (1975) presents black-and- 

 white photographs. 



RANGE 



This sparrow is a nonmigratory resident of 

 fresh to slightly brackish marshes in extreme 

 southern and southwestern peninsular Florida. It 

 ranges from 8 to 34 km inland, and is isolated 

 from other races of seaside sparrow by at least 

 260 km along the Gulf and 280 km along the At- 

 lantic coast of the State. Three disjunct, low- 

 density populations occur in marshes at Cape Sa- 

 ble, the Big Cypress Swamp, and the Taylor 

 Slough area of Everglades National Park, the last 

 being the location of the bulk of the population 

 (Werner 1975, 1976,1979). 



The species was once common landward of 

 the mangrove zone from Carnestown to Shark 

 Valley Slough, including the coastal marl prairie 

 on Cape Sable (Stimson 1956). It is now only 

 rarely seen in this area (Werner 1979). 



Emigration of fledglings is the chief dispersal 

 mechanism for an otherwise sedentary popula- 

 tions (Werner 1975, 1976). 



RANGE MAP 



Known localities for Cape Sable sparrows are 

 based on surveys conducted in 1970-1975 (re- 

 drawn from Werner 1976). Critical Habitat is re- 

 drawn from 42 FR 49685, 11 August 1977. 



STATES/COUNTIES 



Florida Collier, Dade, Monroe. 



HABITAT 



The species inhabits seasonally flooded brush- 

 less subtropical marshes (prairies) of interior sou- 

 thern Florida. Habitats vary from entirely fresh to 

 slightly brackish, generally remaining dry most of 

 the year. Brushy or rocky marshlands are avoided, 

 as are extremely dense stands of cordgrass {Spar- 



tina bakeri) (Werner 1975, 1976, 1979). 



Werner (1975, 1976) described Cape Sable 

 sparrow habitat in terms of four major graminoid 

 communities: muhly grass {Muhlenbergia filipes) 

 prairie; short sawgrass [Cladium jamaicensis) prai- 

 rie; prairies of tall, clumped cordgrass; and prairies 

 of low cordgrass growing with an irregular spatial 



distribution. 



Photographs of habitat appear in Holt and 



Sutton (1926), Stimson (1968), and Werner 



(1975). 



FOOD AND FORAGING BEHAVIOR 



The Cape Sable sparrow is primarily insecti- 

 vorous, with beetles and spiders comprising the 

 bulk of the diet. Amphipods, mollusks, and vege- 

 table matter are of minor importance (Howell 

 (1932). They feed almost entirely on or near the 

 ground, but are occasionally observed in sawgrass 

 flowers during the breeding season (Werner 1975). 



SHELTER REQUIREMENTS 



Sparrows generally remain hidden in marsh 

 vegetation during the hottest part of the day. The 

 microclimate may be moderated by moisture 

 from heavy morning dew (Werner 1975, 1979). 



NESTING OR BEDDING 



A woven grass nest is generally concealed 

 within a tussock of grass 6 to 37 cm above ground. 

 Nest construction may be either cupped or 

 domed (Werner 1975, 1979). 



Werner (1975) reported nests primarily in 

 Muhly grass and occasionally in sawgrass. Nesting 

 is also known to take place in cordgrass and glass- 

 wort {Salicornia) (Nicholson 1928, Stimson 

 1968). 



Photographs of nests and nest sites appear in 

 Stimson (1968) and Werner (1975). 



RITUAL REQUIREMENTS 



Males often chase females during the breeding 

 season. A female occasionally extends and vi- 

 brates her wings when approached by a male. The 

 significance of such interactions is not known 

 (Werner 1975). 



OTHER CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL 

 REQUIREMENTS 



Fire is a dangerous but vital component of 

 Cape Sable sparrow habitat. Periodic burning of 

 interior marshlands is necessary for perpetuation 



