Calcarius pictus
The Smith's Longspur (*Calcarius pictus*) is a charming medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 14-16 cm (5.5-6.3 inches) in length with a wingspan of 26-27 cm and weighing 20-30 grams. Breeding males are strikingly patterned, boasting a distinctive black face framed by a prominent white post-ocular stripe, a rich rufous nape and flanks, and a broad black breast band contrasting with a white belly. Their streaked brown back and white outer tail feathers, visible in flight, are key identif...
This longspur breeds in open arctic and subarctic wet sedge meadows, grassy bogs, and dwarf shrub tundra. In winter, it favors shortgrass prairies, agricultural stubble fields, and pastures, typically at low elevations.
During the breeding season, their diet consists primarily of insects like grasshoppers, beetles, flies, and caterpillars; in winter, they switch to a diet mainly of seeds from grasses and forbs, gleaned from the ground.
Smith's Longspurs are primarily diurnal, foraging actively on the ground throughout the day, often forming communal roosts in dense vegetation during winter. Their foraging strategy involves walking and running across open ground, gleaning insects and seeds directly from the surface or low vegeta...
The Smith's Longspur exhibits a distinct migratory pattern across North America. Its breeding range extends across the remote arctic and subarctic regions of Alaska and northern Canada, encompassing parts of Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northern Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. During win...
Least Concern
- The "longspur" in its name refers to its unusually long hind claw, an adaptation for walking on open ground. - Males perform an iconic "butterfly flight" song display, rising high into the air with fluttering wings before slowly descending while singing. - Despite its striking appearance, the S...