MISSISSIPPI SONG SPARROW 1513 



The winter habitat is much the same as that of the summer, although 

 Sprunt's note says that in South Carolina the bird "frequents the 

 same habitat as melodia, showing a predilection, however, for salt and 

 brackish marshes and environs." 



Writers disagree as to whether atlantica and melodia are distinguish- 

 able in the field. W. E. C. Todd (1924) described the subspecies 

 atlantica as "much grayer above, with the blackish streaking more 

 distinct, and the reddish brown feather-edging reduced to a minimum. 

 More nearly resembling Melospiza melodia juddi, but more grayish 

 above * * *." 



Distribution 



Range. — Tidelands from Long Island, New York, to Georgia. 



Breeding range. — The Atlantic song sparrow breeds in the tidelands 

 along the Atlantic coast from Long Island, New York (Shelter Island) 

 south to North Carolina (vicinity of Beaufort), including lower 

 Chesapeake Bay and the lower Potomac River in Maryland (Morgan- 

 town) and Virginia. 



Winter range. — Winters on breeding grounds north at least to 

 Maryland, ranging south along Atlantic coast to South Carolina 

 (Mount Pleasant, Yemassee) and Georgia (Savannah). 



MELOSPIZA MELODIA EUPHONIA Wetmore 



Mississippi Song Sparrow 

 Contributed by Margaret Morse Nice 



Habits 



From 1928 to 1936 at Columbus, Ohio, I studied a population of 

 song sparrows on a 40 acre tract known as "Interpont." The habitat 

 consisted of weeds, shrubs and trees; the area adjoined the Olentangy 

 River. Over 500 adults were color-banded and 353 nestlings given 

 aluminum bands (Nice, 1937). Later a number of nestlings were 

 hand-raised and kept in captivity; several belonged to the eastern 

 subspecies melodia, having been hatched in Massachusetts; the others 

 were euphonia from southern Michigan (Nice, 1942). 



Migratory status. — About half the resident males proved to be 

 permanent residents on Interpont, and about 20 percent of the 

 females. Six males and one female changed status during the study. 

 Banding of two and three successive generations gave no evidence of 

 a migratory or resident strain. The migratory impulse seemed to be 

 latent in all the birds, cold weather in October stimulating it in the 

 majority of the individuals, mild weather in October inhibiting it 

 in some. 



646-737 — 68 — pt. 3 18 



