Lapland Longspur

Overview

Lapland Longspur: Medium sparrow-like bird, brown-streaked black back. Underparts are white, streaked black on sides, flanks. Crown, face, and throat are black; nape is red-brown. Broad white stripe from eye to sides of breast. Bill is yellow with dark tip. Tail is long, white edges.

Range and Habitat

Lapland Longspur: Breeds from Aleutians, Alaska, and Arctic islands to northern Quebec. Winters regularly throughout northern states to California, Texas, and New York.; also in northern Eurasia. Nests on Arctic tundra; in migration stays on alpine meadows. Winters on farm fields, pastures, grasslands, and grassy coastal dunes.

INTERESTING FACTS

The more common name for this bird is Lapland Bunting. It is only known as the Lapland Longspur in North America. 'Longspur' refers to the elongated claw of the hind toe.
It breeds in the high arctic with continual daylight during the summer, and a breeding male may sing at any hour of the day.
Despite the lack of a real dawn, the male tends to sing most in the early morning.
Some winter flocks have been estimated as large as four million birds.
A group of longspurs are collectively known as a "drive" of longspurs.

The Lapland Longspur is native to many portions of Europe and Asia and is a visitor to other portions of the world as well. At the current time this bird species is ranked as Least Concern. The range of the Lapland Longspur has not been quantified at this time but is considered to be several million square kilometers. Due to the size of this bird's population as well as its range, it is not considered to be facing any immediate threats. The prior rating for the Lapland Longspur was Lower Risk, which was downgraded to Least Concern in 2004.