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Smith's Longspur

Calcarius pictusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Smith's Longspur Breeding Male Portrait
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General

Smith's Longspur: Medium-sized sparrow with yellow-brown streaked upperparts, black head with white eyebrow and ear patch, and yellow-brown nape, throat, and underparts. Wings have large white bars. Tail is black with white edges. Female and winter adult are duller, without black heads or white ear patches, and have white throats and faint spots on breast and sides.

Range and Habitat

Smith's Longspur: Breeds from northern Alaska across northern Canada to Hudson Bay. Spends winters from Nebraska south to Texas. Breeds on dry, hummocky areas of Arctic tundra, sometimes near forest edges. Spends winters on open fields.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"wee-chew!"

Interesting Facts

  • Audubon named the Smith's Longspur after his friend Gideon B. Smith. Longspur refers to the elongated claw of the hind toe.
  • Males are not territorial, but instead compete for fertilizations by copulating with females frequently in order to dilute or displace sperm from other males.
  • Over a period of one week in June, a female will copulate over 350 times on average; this is one of the highest copulation rates of any bird.
  • A group of longspurs are collectively known as a "drive" of longspurs.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Smith's Longspur
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Calcarius pictus
Length5.75 - 6.5 Inches
Wingspan10.5 Inches

Smith's Longspur

Smith's Longspur: Medium sparrow, yellow-brown streaked upperparts, black head with white eyebrow and ear patch, and yellow-brown nape, throat, and underparts. Wings have large white bars. Tail is black with white edges. Yellow-brown legs and feet. Feeds on seeds, spiders, and insects.

● Song: "wee-chew!"

● Foraging & Feeding: Smith's Longspur: Eats seeds, insects, and spiders on tundra. In winter, feeds mostly on seeds; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Smith's Longspur: Four to six buff to light green eggs marked with lavender and brown are laid in a ground hollow lined with plant materials and feathers, and hidden beneath surrounding vegetation. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Smith's Longspur: Lapland Longspur has red-brown nape, white underparts streaked with black, and lacks white wing patch.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides., Swift erratic zigzag flight when flushed.
Smith's Longspur Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Smith's Longspur: Breeds from northern Alaska across northern Canada to Hudson Bay. Spends winters from Nebraska south to Texas. Breeds on dry, hummocky areas of Arctic tundra, sometimes near forest edges. Spends winters on open fields.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationYes but uncommon
MigrationMigratory
Weight1 Ounces