Population status

Nelson's Sparrow
(Ammodramus nelsoni)

The Nelson's Sparrow is best monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) in Canada, although it covers only two of the three Canadian populations - the Prairie and Atlantic. The population that breeds along the coast of Hudson's and James Bays is best monitored by the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario which provides information over a 20-year period. BBS results suggest a moderate increase for the species in Canada since about 1970, but there is considerable uncertainty in this trend due to poor precision in the data. Regional BBS data suggest the Prairie population has increased relative to 1970, while the Atlantic population has decreased (all Bird Conservation Regions with reasonably reliable trends are displayed below). Ontario Atlas data suggest a moderate increase in occurrence in the Hudson's and James Bay area. Considering BBS as the primary data source with support from the Ontario Atlas, the population as a whole is best assessed as having shown a moderate increase in abundance since 1970. However, poor precision of the results means this assessment is considered to have low reliability.

Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis

Additional information on: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis

View definitions of table column headings being used by: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis

Table 1: Population trends by geographic area
Geographic area	Time Period ^{Table 1 - footnote 1}	Annual trend ^{Table 1 - footnote 2}	Intervals ^{Table 1 - footnote3}
Geographic area	Time Period ^{Table 1 - footnote 1}	Annual trend ^{Table 1 - footnote 2}	Lower	Upper
Canada Select to view graph of the geographic area: Canada 1970-2012; Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis	1970-2012	1.3	-3	3.8
Prairie Potholes Select to view graph of the geographic area: Prairie Potholes 1970-2012; Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis	1970-2012	4.7	2.6	7.1
Atlantic Northern Forest Select to view graph of the geographic area: Atlantic Northern Forest 1970-2012; Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis	1970-2012	-1.2	-4	1.4

Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario

Additional information on: Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario

View definitions of table column headings being used by: Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario

Table 2: Population trends by geographic area
Geographic area	Time Period	Annual trend (%) ^{Table 2 - footnote 1}	Limits
Geographic area	Time Period	Annual trend (%) ^{Table 2 - footnote 1}	Lower	Upper
Ontario	1981/85 - 2001/05	1.7	-3.2	6.8

Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Additional information on: Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

View definitions of table column headings being used by: Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Table 3: Population trends by geographic area
Geographic area	Time Period	Annual trend ^{Table 3 - footnote 1}	Limits
Geographic area	Time Period	Annual trend ^{Table 3 - footnote 1}	Lower	Upper
North America	1965-2012	-3.3	-5.6	-1.3

References

Erskine, A.J. 1992. Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritime Provinces. NSM/Nimbus co-publication, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 280 pp.
Shaffer, F., J.P. LeBel, and R. Ouellet. 1990. State of the Sharp-tailed Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus subvirgatus) in Quebec and Canada. Dept. Rec., Hunting, and Fishing, Quebec Assn. Ornithol. Unions, Québec.
Shriver, W.G., T.P. Hodgman, and A.R. Hanson. 2011. Nelson's Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Shriver, W.G., T.P. Hodgman, and A.R. Hanson. 2011. Nelson's Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)