Dusky Seaside sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens)
Kingdom: Animalia Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae
Listing Status:
General Information
The Dusky seaside sparrow was a non-migratory songbird common in Southern Florida, in the marshes of Merritt Island and along the St. John's River. When Merritt Island was flooded in an attempt to reduce mosquito populations around Kennedy Space Center, the sparrows' nesting grounds were flooded and their numbers started to collapse. Later, the marshes surrounding the St. John's River were drained to facilitate highway construction which caused the population to collapse further. By 1979, the combination of habitat loss, pollution, and pesticides caused the population to decline to such small numbers that demographic stochasticity was able to deliver the final blow to the species: by 1979, only six dusky seaside sparrows were known to exist -- all of them were male (the last female was sighted in 1975). In 1979, five of the remaining male dusky seaside sparrows were captured and brought to the Discover Island nature reserve in the Walt Disney World Resort where they lived out their remaining days. On or about 31 March 1986, the only dusky seaside sparrow still alive was a bird named "Orange Band". Despite being blind in one eye, Orange Band reached lived at least eight years, (and perhaps as many as thirteen) before he died on 17 June 1987.
» Federal Register Documents
» Recovery
Recovery Plan Information Search| Date | Citation Page | Title | Document Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/12/1990 | 55 FR 51112 51114 | ETWP; Final Rule to Delist the Dusky Seaside Sparrow and Remove its Critical Habitat Designation; 55 FR 51112 51114 | |
| 04/25/1990 | 55 FR 17555 17557 | ETWP; Proposed Rule to Delist the Dusky Seaside Sparrow and to Remove its Critical Habitat Designation; 55 FR 17555 17557 |
» Critical Habitat
| Date | Citation Page | Title | Document Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/22/1977 | 42 FR 47840 47845 | Final Correction and Augumentation of Critical Habitat Reorganization; 42 FR 47840 47845 | Final Rule | Active |
| 08/11/1977 | 42 FR 40685 40690 | Determination of Critical Habitat for Six Endangered Species Including Palila, Renumbering of Critical Habitat Listings; 42 FR 40685 40690 (Florida Everglades kite, Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus; American peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus anatum; palila Psittirostra bailleui; dusky seaside sparrow, Ammospiza maritima nigrescens; Cape Sable sparrow, Ammospiza maritima mirabilis; Morro Bay kangaroo rat, Dipodomus heermanni morroensis) | Final Rule | Active |
| 12/03/1976 | 41 FR 53074 53075 | Proposed Determination of Critical Habitat for Florida Everglade Kite and Dusky Sea Sparrow; 41 FR 53074 53075 (Rostrhamus sociobilis plumbeus, Ammospiza maritima nigrescens) | Proposed Rule | Not Required |
To learn more about critical habitat please see http://criticalhabitat.fws.gov
» Conservation Plans
No conservation plans have been created for Dusky Seaside sparrow
» Petitions
No petition findings have been published for the Dusky Seaside sparrow.
» Life History
No Life History information has been entered into this system for this species.
» Other Resources
NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.
ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.
