This Tiny Bird Tells the Story of the East Coast’s Vanishing Marshes

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The saltmarsh sparrow depends on coastal marshes that stretch from Virginia to Maine for survival. Their decline points to an ecosystem on the brink of collapse.

Deirdre Robinson, co-director of the Saltmarsh Sparrow Research Initiative, carefully picks her way through the grass, hoping to spot a nest. The sparrows, with their orange-red faces and striped plumage, build their nests in marshes, but are facing challenges as sea levels rise and tides rise.