Hobbies And Interests
Insects and Spiders
Seaside Sparrows are ground foragers that walk along the tidal creeks of the salt marshes and pick up insects and spiders that it finds with its mouth, called a bill. Moths, leafhoppers, short-horned crickets and grasshoppers and wolf spiders are just some of the insects and spiders that it eats. Its large foot helps it to cling to grass stems while it extends its neck or lunges to reach its prey. Seaside Sparrows eat both adult insects and spiders, and their larvae and eggs.
Small Marine Animals
Seaside Sparrows eat any small marine animals that they run across. These include snails and small young crabs. These animals often bury themselves in muddy grounds, so the sparrow probes and pecks the mud with its bill to reach them. Sometimes, it chases after the prey.
Seeds
Wild Seaside Sparrows also eat seeds, although at a much lesser level than other sparrows. The bird perches on the seed heads and removes individual seeds from the plant. Any insects and spiders that happen to be on the seed head are consumed, as are seeds lying on the ground. Captive Seaside Sparrows eat seeds and crickets fed by their human caregivers.
Survival
Since they have a limited habitat range, Seaside Sparrows are more prone to population decimation and extinction. The Dusky Seaside Sparrow became extinct in the 1980s while the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow is on the United States Endangered List. Disruptions such as hurricanes, fires and human development have eroded their feeding and nesting grounds. A predicted sea level rise of 2 to 4 millimeters per year beginning around 2100 is expected to accelerate the loss of the salt marshes that provide a home and food to Seaside Sparrows.