Lapland Longspur
Calcarius lapponicus
The 'longspur' name comes from its unusually long and straight hind claw, which is thought to help the bird walk and maintain balance on snowy or mossy terrain.
- Scientific name
- Calcarius lapponicus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Calcariidae › Calcarius
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- tundra
- Habitat
- Breeds in wet tundra and sedge meadows; winters in open grasslands, prairies, and stubble fields.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; primarily feeds on seeds from grasses and weeds, but switches to insects and spiders during the summer breeding season.
- Range
- Arctic North America, Greenland, Scandinavia, Russia, Northern United States, Central Europe
- Size
- Length: 15-16 cm; Weight: 22-31 g
- Lifespan
- 3-6 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Climate change causing shrub encroachment on tundra breeding grounds and habitat loss in wintering prairies due to intensive agriculture.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These birds are shy and easily startled. Maintain a distance of at least 15 meters to avoid disrupting their foraging or nesting. If found in agricultural fields during winter, observe from a vehicle or fence line to prevent flushing the flock.
The Lapland longspur ( Calcarius lapponicus ), 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 (Old World finches).
Photo: Вячеслав Юсупов, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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