Seaside Sparrow Displays: Their Function in Social Organization and Habitat

Abstract

THE behavior of the Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima) is of general interest because of this species' wide range of densities (Post 1974) and variation in patterns of dispersion in its breeding populations (Tom- kins 1941, Woolfenden 1956, Post 1974). Woolfenden (1956) and Norris (1968) provided some information on the species' voicings and copulatory behavior, but for the most part its display behavior is unknown. This is perhaps due to the difficulty of watching Seaside Sparrows in the dense marsh vegetation they inhabit and to the low rate of social interaction in the sparse breeding populations that have been studied. The purpose of this paper is to (1) describe the displays of the Seaside Sparrow, (2) provide preliminary information on the displays' functions, and (3) sug- gest how the species' display behavior is related to its social organization and habitat. METHODS