Bird field guide > Bird identification [K-L] > Longspur, Lapland bird pictures

Longspur, Lapland bird pictures

LAPLAND LONGSPUR
636. Calcarius lapponicus. 6.25 inches

Male in summer with black crown and throat and chestnut nape; female similar but duller; winter plumage, with feathers of head and neck tipped with grayish so as to conceal the bright markings.

As indicated by its name, this is a Northern species, which spends the cold months in northern U.S., traveling in flocks and resting and feeding on side hills, often with Snowflakes, or on lower ground with Horned Larks.

Song. - A sweet trill or warble, frequently given while in flight; call, a sharp chip.

Nest. - Of mosses, grasses, and feathers placed on the ground in tussocks or on grassy hummocks.

In June and July they lay from four to six eggs having a grayish ground color, which is nearly obscured by the numerous blotches of brown and lavender (.80 x .60).

Range. - Breeds from Labrador northward and winters south to South Carolina and Texas. A sub-species is found in the West.