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Dusky Seaside Sparrow

 
Dusky Seaside Sparrow

 
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Dusky Seaside Sparrow
 
 
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The Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens, was a non-migratory
Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
 subspecies
Subspecies

In biology, subspecies is the taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a species. A subspecies is a taxonomic group which is less distinct than the Common descent or species from which it originates....
 of the Seaside Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow

The Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus, is a small American sparrow. The 11 Ammodramus species inhabit marshes and grasslands.Adults have brownish upperparts with grey on the crown and nape, and a grayish buff colored breast with dark streaks; they have a dark face with grey cheeks, a white throat and a short pointed tail....
, found in Southern Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 in the natural salt marshes of Merritt Island and along the St. John's River. It was officially declared extinct in December 1990.

dusky's demise began in 1940 when DDT
DDT

DDT is one of the best known synthetic pesticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history.First synthesized in 1874, DDT's insecticidal properties were not discovered until 1939....
 was sprayed on the marshes for the control of mosquitoes.






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The Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens, was a non-migratory
Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
 subspecies
Subspecies

In biology, subspecies is the taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a species. A subspecies is a taxonomic group which is less distinct than the Common descent or species from which it originates....
 of the Seaside Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow

The Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus, is a small American sparrow. The 11 Ammodramus species inhabit marshes and grasslands.Adults have brownish upperparts with grey on the crown and nape, and a grayish buff colored breast with dark streaks; they have a dark face with grey cheeks, a white throat and a short pointed tail....
, found in Southern Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 in the natural salt marshes of Merritt Island and along the St. John's River. It was officially declared extinct in December 1990.

Causes for extinction

The dusky's demise began in 1940 when DDT
DDT

DDT is one of the best known synthetic pesticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history.First synthesized in 1874, DDT's insecticidal properties were not discovered until 1939....
 was sprayed on the marshes for the control of mosquitoes. This pesticide entered the bird's food chain which caused the population to go from 2,000 to 600 breeding pairs. When Merritt Island was flooded with the goal of reducing the mosquito
Mosquito

Mosquitoes are common flying insects in the family Culicidae that are found around the world. There are about 3,500 species. They have a pair of scaled wings, a pair of halteres, a slender body, and six long legs....
 population around Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center

The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center on Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard County, Florida, United States....
, the sparrows' nesting grounds were devastated, and their numbers plummeted. Later, the marshes surrounding the river were drained, to facilitate highway construction; this was a further blow. Eventually, pollution and pesticides took such a high toll that by 1979, only six dusky seaside sparrows were known to exist — all of whom were males; a female was last sighted in 1975.

Last specimens

Captive breeding
Captive breeding

Captive breedingis the process of breeding rare species or endangered species in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife preserves, zoos and other conservation biology facilities; sometimes the process is construed to include release of individual organisms to the wild, when there is sufficient natural habit...
 of all remaining dusky seaside sparrows with the Scott's Seaside Sparrow
Scott's Seaside Sparrow

Scott's Seaside Sparrow is a subspecies of the Seaside Sparrow. It can be found along the Gulf of Mexico coast of northwestern Florida, where it breeds from Pasco County to Apalachee Bay and in the swamplands of St....
 (A. m. peninsulae) from Florida's gulf coast was approved in 1979. By 1980 five dusky seaside sparrows were in a captive breeding facility in Gainesville, Florida. One, banded in 1978 with an orange leg band was unique.

"Orange Band" was left by himself on the St. Johns Unit of the St. Johns NWR after a yellow leg banded dusky was captured in 1979. Field observations of color banded sparrows from 1975 to 1979 indicated that dusky seaside sparrows seldom travel more than a mile or two in a lifetime. In April 1980, "Orange Band" was again observed on the St. Johns Unit, but was surprisingly captured in June eight miles south on the Beeline Unit in the company of a dusky with a green leg band. Before finding "Green Band", "Orange Band" passed the general vicinity of the two unbanded dusky seaside sparrows.

In 1983 the last four living dusky seaside sparrows were taken to Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort

Walt Disney World Resort is the most visited and largest recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks; two water parks; twenty-three themed hotels; and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues....
, to continue crossbreeding and living out their days in a protected habitat on the Discovery Island nature reserve. By March 31, 1986, only one, "Orange Band", remained.

Despite being blind in one eye, "Orange Band" reached extreme old age for a sparrow, living at least eight years, and possibly as many as thirteen, before dying on June 17, 1987.

"Green band" proved elusive, and was never recaptured after having been banded. He was last seen on July 23, 1980 (Walters 1992).

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