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
Species

See text.

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.

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 species are:

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

The genus name Calcarius is from Latin calcaria, "spurs". [2]

Related Research Articles

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Bunting may refer to:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lapland longspur</span> Species of passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae

The Lapland longspur, also known as the Lapland bunting, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae, a group separated by most modern authors from the Fringillidae.

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McKay's bunting is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae. It is most closely related to the snow bunting. Hybrids between the two species have been observed, leading some authorities to treat McKay's as a subspecies of snow bunting. As the Plectrophenax buntings are nested within the Calcarius clade, their closest relatives are the longspurs. McKay's bunting breeds on two islands in the Bering Sea, St. Matthew and Hall islands, and winters on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska.

<i>Plectrophenax</i> Genus of birds

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Calcariidae is a small family of passerine birds. It includes longspurs and snow buntings. There are six species in three genera worldwide, found mainly in North America and Eurasia. They are migratory and can live in a variety of habitats including grasslands, prairies, tundra, mountains, and beaches.

References

  1. "Passerellidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. p.  84. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.