Longspur

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Longspurs
ChestnutcollaredLongspur23.jpg
Chestnut-collared longspur
(Calcarius ornatus)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Calcariidae
Genus: Calcarius
Bechstein, 1802
Type species
Fringilla lapponica [1]
Linnaeus, 1758

The longspurs, genus Calcarius, are a group of birds in the family Calcariidae. The name refers to the long claw on the hind toe of each foot. The genus formerly included the thick-billed longspur, Rhyncophanes mccownii, which is now placed in a separate genus.

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus Calcarius was introduced in 1802 by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein to accommodate a single species, Fringilla laponnica Linnaeus 1758, which therefore becomes the type species by monotypy. [2] [3] The genus name is from Latin calcaria meaning "spurs". [4]

These are chunky ground-feeding birds with long wings which are usually seen in open areas. Males declare ownership of a territory by singing during short flights over it. The male's breeding plumage is much brighter than his winter plumage. These birds gather in large flocks in winter. The longspurs are all found in North America; the Lapland longspur, or Lapland bunting, is also found in Europe and Asia.

Species

The genus contains three species: [5]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Lapland Longspur - Calcarius lapponicus - Sportittlingur 3.jpg Calcarius lapponicus Lapland longspur, or Lapland buntingArctic Europe and the Palearctic and in Canada and the northernmost United States
Smith's Longspur - first winter bird (8160073644).jpg Calcarius pictus Smith's longspur northern Canada and Alaska
Chestnut-Collared Longspur - 2nd Maine Record.jpg Calcarius ornatus Chestnut-collared longspur central Canada and the north central United States

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References

  1. "Passerellidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. Bechstein, Johann Matthäus (1802). Ornithologisches Taschenbuch von und für Deutschland, oder, Kurze Beschreibung aller Vögel Deutschlands für Liebhaber dieses Theils der Naturgeschichte (in German). Leipzig: Carl Friedrich Enoch Richter. p. 130.
  3. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1970). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 36.
  4. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. p.  84. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Finches, euphonias, longspurs, Thrush-tanager". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 30 December 2024.