Bird name:

Smith's Longspur

Calcarius pictus

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Code 4

SMLO

Code 6

CALPIC

ITIS

179529

Breeding Location:

Forest edge, Tundra

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Yes but uncommon

Egg Color:

Buff to light green marked with brown and lavender

Number of Eggs:

4 - 6

Incubation Days:

11 - 13

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with plant material.

Migration:

Migratory

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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.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and Feeding

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

Readily Eats

Safflower, Apple Slices, Suet, Millet, Peanut Kernels, Fruit

Vocalization

Smith's Longspur: Song is a series of rapid, melodious warbles ending in "wee-che!" Call is a dry, tickling rattle.

Similar Species

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

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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.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Ear patch

Consists of soft, loose-webbed feathers on the side of the bird's head below and behind the eyes.

Eyebrow

Also called the supercilicum or superciliary it is the arch of feathers over each eye.

Nape

Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America