Ammodramus
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ammodramus".

Ammodramus
Grasshopper Sparrow
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Emberizidae Genus: Ammodramus Swainson, 1827
Species
See text.
Synonyms
Passerherbulus Maynard, 1895 Palaeostruthus

The genus Ammodramus is a group of American sparrows in the family Emberizidae.

These birds are relatively small, with large bills, flat heads and short tails. They are usually found in grasslands or marshes and are often fairly inconspicuous. Most of their songs are insect-like.

Many of these bird species have declined in numbers due to habitat loss.

The full list of species is:

• Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus
  • Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens (extinct, 1987)
  • Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis
• Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Ammodramus nelsoni
• Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Ammodramus caudacutus
• Le Conte's Sparrow, Ammodramus leconteii
• Henslow's Sparrow, Ammodramus henslowii
• Baird's Sparrow, Ammodramus bairdii
• Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum
• Grassland Sparrow, Ammodramus humeralis
• Yellow-browed Sparrow, Ammodramus aurifrons

The fossil Ammodramus hatcheri (Late Miocene of Kansas, USA) was formerly placed in genus Palaeospiza or Palaeostruthus. The former may not be a passeriform at all, while the latter was eventually synonymized with Ammodramus as A. hatcheri scarcely differs from the living species.

This article about a bird of the family Emberizidae is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.