Lapland Longspurs breed in tundra habitats across the arctic. Chunky grassland bird with a stout bill. Flushed birds often fly quite high and settle far from their original position. Lapland longspurs breed on the tundra, in a strip of high latitude extending from Greenland west across northernmost Canada and coastal Alaska, to northern Russia and Scandinavia. The bird was on the dirt track that runs across the main pasture at Katama Farm, where it was feeding on grass seeds. Feather Metadata. Note rusty patch in the wings. Like pipits, horned larks, and snow buntings, Lapland longspurs invariably occur in open habitats. Its behavior was surprisingly mouselike: It crouched low to the ground as it scurried along, plunging through and sometimes even under the bent-over grass. Nonbreeding birds are streaked above with a black border around the ear, streaked flanks, and a dark often smudgy breast band. They form large, nomadic flocks in the winter. It is an open cup made from coarse sedge, lined with fine sedge and grass, feathers, or hair. Females are similar but lack the extensive black. You can’t screw around at high latitudes; summer is very, very short! Look for them on fallow agricultural fields, often with bare ground or sparse stubble, where they form large flocks along with American Pipits, Horned Larks, and Vesper and Savannah Sparrows. So this is not a species I can give you clear instructions on how to find. In winter, males and females retain an echo of face pattern but lack the blocks of color, becoming overall pale brown and streaked. Breeds in arctic tundra. Longspurs and Snow Buntings(Order: Passeriformes, Family:Calcariidae). Its range encircles the northern reaches of the Northern Hemisphere and it’s a common breeding bird in Eurasia, where it’s known as Lapland Bunting. During summer, they eat an estimated 3,000 to 10,000 seeds and insects per day, plus feed their nestlings an additional 3,000 insects per day. A dark line outlines the ear and the flanks are streaked. Most of the North American population funnels down during fall migration through the Great Plains, where flocks numbering in the hundreds of thousands have been observed. The oldest recorded Lapland Longspur was at least 5 years old when it was recaptured and rereleased in Alaska. Personally, I can only recall seeing longspurs twice previously on the Vineyard, both times solo birds in November, and both, coincidentally, at Katama Farm. Keep your eye out for this visitor from the far north. A look at the bird through binoculars showed a rectangular rusty patch on the wing, a valuable field mark for this species in all plumages. But when this species visits us in the fall and winter, even the males are much duller, with just hints of that bold head pattern. © Copyright 2017 The Martha's Vineyard Times, Tisbury, Chilmark approve COVID construction regulations, Oak Bluffs wary of reducing restaurant hours, Art and rug sale canceled due to virus spike. Larger than an American Goldfinch, smaller than an American Robin. Observers who have written about this bird report that it often nests at very high density in this range. Sings a series of loud, squeaky, jingling notes from low perches near the ground or during flight. Lapland longspurs are well adapted to life on the tundra. Nonbreeding birds have warm brown patches on cheeks, crown, sides of neck. Females are similar but lack the extensive black. The vast majority of North American birders encounter Lapland Longspurs in the winter months, when the birds filter down into southern Canada and the northern United States. Male and female Lapland longspurs stand on the ground. Once eggs are laid, incubation proceeds quickly by songbird standards, and the young, once hatched, mature enough to leave the nest in only about 10 days. Despite being one of the most abundant breeding songbirds in North America, the Lapland Longspur is remarkably easy to overlook. Records here seem to occur slightly less than annually on average, sometimes of small flocks, sometimes of a few individuals mixed in with snow buntings or horned larks, sometimes of solo birds like my recent one at Katama. Male longspurs in breeding plumage are striking birds, with a black face and throat, rusty nape, and a bold white stripe separating these two areas. The login page will open in a new tab. — Matt Pelikan On Sunday, Nov. 8, I took advantage of ridiculously fine weather for a quick birding and bugging trip to Katama. The deep black masks and chestnut napes of the males, only slightly more subdued in females, make the Lapland Longspur difficult to mistake for any other species—a far cry from their nondescript winter garb.

After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Winters in open habitats including used agricultural fields, turf farms, and coastal dunes. The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. Perhaps they object to flying over water. Wings relatively long. In addition to the usual suspects, I was lucky to come across one of my favorite birds: a ground-hugging, sparrow-like critter called the Lapland longspur (“Longspur” because this species sports a very long hind toe, an adaptation to walking on the ground). Feather Vane Length. While pure longspur flocks do occur here, much more typical is finding a longspur or two mixed in with a flock of one of those other open-land species. The species shows a clear seasonal pattern here, with most records coming from late fall or early winter. Breeding males have a bold black face bordered by a swooping yellow-white line and a rich rufous patch on the back of the neck. In all plumages, the tail is dark with white outer tail feathers. Of the four species of longspurs that can be found in North America, the Lapland Longspur is the only one that can be found outside of North America. Not unusual for this species, the bird was amazingly tame, far more interested in stripping seeds off crabgrass stalks than in paying attention to me. Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. Males stake out snow-free patches of ground and sing a twittery song to attract a mate. Lapland Longspurs walk or run across open landscapes, often taking cover among plant stalks or crouching motionless against the ground, depending on their excellent camouflage to conceal them. Breeds in wet tundra meadows. Description: A Steller's jay perches on a branch. Breeding males have a black crown, face, and bib and a rusty nape. FEATHER SCAN DATA. The name “longspur” refers to the unusually long hind claw on this species and others in its genus. But it gave an unmistakable longspur call: A metallic, rattling “Brrrrt!” that instantly grabbed my attention.

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