McCown's longspur Calcarius mccownii

Identification Tips:

• Length: 5.25 inches
• Large, conical bill
• Black-tipped tail with white base
• Found in open areas: beaches, tundra, short grass or bare fields
• Often found in flocks
• Forages on the ground

Male alternate:

• Black crown and breast
• Gray face and nape
• Whitish throat and underparts
• Rusty shoulder
• Black breast and belly
• Streaked back

Female and basic:

• Dark crown
• Pale supercilium
• Pale underparts
• Rusty shoulder
• Streaked back
• Sometimes has faint blackish breast

Similar species:

In the breeding season, the male McCown's Longspur is easily identified. The female and winter plumages are very similar to other longspurs. Smith's and Lapland have less white in the tail, especially at the base. McCown's has a rusty shoulder and a larger bill. Chestnut-collared often has a hint of chestnut on the nape. Lapland Longspur has rusty wings. McCown's Longspur can be told from Snow Buntings and Horned Larks by its streaked upperparts.

Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.