Lapland Longspur

Alternative name: Lapland Bunting

Adult summer male
Photo by SveinB
Oppland, Norway.

Calcarius lapponicus

Identification

Length 15.6-17 cm (6¼-6¾ in), weight 23-35 g

• Thick yellow bill with dark tip
• Legs usually dark brown
• Black head and throat in summer male; orange-brown in female and winter male
• White eyestripe in summer male; buff in female and winter male
• Chestnut nape (duller in winter and juveniles)

Female or immature
Photo by Rapala
Whitefish Point, Michigan; September 2013.

• Greater coverts on wing chestnut with pale tips forming a chestnut panel and weak whitish wingbar
• White underparts
• Heavily streaked, brown-black-grey back

Distribution

Arctic Europe, Asia, and North America, breeding on tundra and wintering further south on coasts, steppes and open grassland, including stubble fields.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Spring plumage
Photo by mali
Blakeney, Norfolk, March/April 2016

This is a polytypic species consisting of 3 subspecies^[1]:

• C. l. lapponicus:

• Breeds northern Canada (except far north-west), northern Europe, northern Asia (except far north-east).

• C. l. coloratus: Darker and slightly larger than nominate.

• Breeds far north-eastern Asia (Kamchatka and nearby areas).

• C. l. alascensis: Paler than nominate.

• Breeds northern and western Alaska, far north-western Canada.

Habitat

Breeding

Wet areas with birch or willow, and or bare mountains.

Non-breeding

Open grassland or cultivated land or coasts; avoids shrubs and trees.

Behaviour

Diet

Includes insects when feeding young, and otherwise seeds.

Breeding

The nest is on the ground. The clutch consists of 2-4 eggs.

Vocalisation

The most common flight call is a hard prrrrt usually preceded by a more nasal teeww.
When breeding, it also makes a softer duyyeee followed by a pause and a triiiuuu; both sounds alternate.

References

1. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2011. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 16: Tanagers to New World Blackbirds. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553781
2. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
3. Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2014. IOC World Bird Names (version 4.3). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
4. Absolute Astronomy

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Lapland Longspur. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 10 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lapland_Longspur

External Links

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