Smith's Longspur

Taxobox
name = Smith's Longspur
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Emberizidae
genus = "Calcarius"
species = "C. pictus"
binomial = "Calcarius pictus"
binomial_authority = (Swainson, 1832)The Smith's Longspur, "Calcarius pictus", is a small ground-feeding bird from the family "Emberizidae", which also contains the American sparrows.

Overview

These birds have a short cone-shaped bills, streaked backs and dark tails with white outer retrices. In breeding state plumage (mostly formed by worn basic plumage), the male has pumpkin orange throat, nape, and underparts contrasting with an intricate black-and-white face pattern. The white lesser coverts are quite pronounced on a male in spring and early summer. Females and immatures have lightly-streaked buffy underparts, dark crowns, brown wings with less obvious white lesser coverts, and a light-colored face. The tail is identical at all ages.

This bird breeds in open grassy areas near the tree line in northern Canada and Alaska. The female lays 3 to 5 eggs in a grass cup nest on the ground. These birds nest in small colonies; males do not defend territory. Both males and females may have more than one mate. The parents, one female and possibly more than one male, feed the young birds.

In winter, they congregate in open fields, including airports, in the south-central United States.

Migration is elliptical, with northbound birds staging in Illinois in the spring and southbound birds flying over the Great Plains in the fall.

These birds forage on the ground, gathering in flocks outside of the nesting season. They mainly eat seeds, also eating insects in summer. Young birds are mainly fed insects.

The song is a sweet warble that's inflected at the end, somewhat reminiscent of Chestnut-sided Warbler. The call is a dry rattle, like a shorterned version of the call of a femal Brown-headed Cowbird. It is noticebaly drier than that of Lapland Longspur.

Audubon named this bird after his friend Gideon B. Smith.

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

Further reading

Book

* Briskie, James V. 1993. "Smith’s Longspur (Calcarius pictus)". In "The Birds of North America", No. 34. (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists’ Union.

Articles

* Briskie JV. (1992). "COPULATION PATTERNS AND SPERM COMPETITION IN THE POLYGYNANDROUS SMITHS LONGSPUR". Auk. vol 109, no 3. p. 563-575.

* Briskie JV. (1993). "ANATOMICAL ADAPTATIONS TO SPERM COMPETITION IN SMITHS LONGSPURS AND OTHER POLYGYNANDROUS PASSERINES". Auk. vol 110, no 4. p. 875-888.

* Briskie JV. (1999). "Song variation and the structure of local song dialects in the polygynandrous Smith's Longspur". Can J Zool-Rev Can Zool. vol 77, no 10. p. 1587-1594.

* Briskie JV, Montgomerie R, Poldmaa T & Boag PT. (1998). "Paternity and paternal care in the polygynandrous Smith's longspur". Behav Ecol Sociobiol. vol 43, no 3. p. 181-190.

* Bulmer W. (1969). "1st Record of Smiths Longspur in Connecticut USA". Auk. vol 86, no 2.

* Burke PS, Obbard ME, Sutherland DA, Jones CD, McCracken JD & Ridout R. (2006). "First documented nest of Stilt Sandpiper in Ontario". Ontario Birds. vol 24, no 2. p. 75-83.

* Curry B, Miles JB & Marantz CA. (2002). "Smith's Longspur: First record for Ontario in winter, and for the Hamilton area". Ontario Birds. vol 20, no 3. p. 120-129.

* Davis TH. (1976). "1st Record of Smiths Longspur in New-York". Auk. vol 93, no 4. p. 838-839.

* Grzybowski JA. (1976). "Habitat Selection among Some Grassland Birds Wintering in Oklahoma USA". Annals of the Oklahoma Academy of Science. vol 6, p. 176-182.

* Harris B. (1974). "Specimen Records for Smiths Longspur in Deuel and Roberts Counties". South Dakota Bird Notes. vol 26, no 1.

* Hussell DJT. (1971). "Factors Affecting Clutch Size in Arctic Passerines". Dissertation Abstracts International B Sciences & Engineering. vol 32, no 3.

* Jehl JRJ. (1968). "The Breeding Biology of Smiths Longspur Calcarius-Pictus Emberiza Behavior". Wilson Bulletin. vol 80, no 2. p. 123-149.

* Klicka J, Zink RM & Winker K. (2003). "Longspurs and snow buntings: phylogeny and biogeography of a high-latitude clade (Calcarius)". Mol Phylogenet Evol. vol 26, no 2. p. 165-175.

* Mancke RG. (1971). "Smiths Longspur Visits Midland". Jack Pine Warbler. vol 49, no 4.

* Martin K, Hannon S & Moses R. (1981). "Nesting of Smiths Longspurs Calcarius-Pictus in British-Columbia Canada". Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 95, no 4. p. 469-470.

* Meddle SL, Owen-Ashley NT, Richardson MI & Wingfield JC. (2003). "Modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of an Arctic-breeding polygynandrous songbird, the Smith's longspur, Calcarius pictus". Proc R Soc Lond Ser B-Biol Sci. vol 270, no 1526. p. 1849-1856.

* Roberts JP & Schnell GD. (2006). "Comparison of survey methods for wintering grassland birds". J Field Ornithol. vol 77, no 1. p. 46-60.

* Ryff AJ. (1987). "Smith's Longspur a Case of Neglect". Ontario Birds. vol 5, no 1. p. 2-20.

* Sage BL. (1976). "The Breeding Distribution of Smiths Longspur in Alaska". Condor. vol 78, no 1. p. 116-117.

* Yee DG, Bailey SF & Deuel BE. (1991). "The Autumn Migration August 1-November 30 1990 Middle Pacific Coast Region USA". American Birds. vol 45, no 1. p. 145-149.

External links

* [http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=smith%27s+longspur&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 Smith's Longspur photo gallery] VIREO