- Calcarius mccownii
Identification
5 3/4-6" (15 cm). Sparrow-sized. Breeding male streaked above, with black crown, whitish face, and black "moustache"; gray below with bold black band across breast. Female and winter male duller and more streaked; best identified by tail pattern, which is largely white, with central pair of tail feathers black and with narrow black band at tip.
Voice Dry rattle; also a clear sweet warble given during a fluttering flight with wings raised high over back.
Distribution
Breeds from Alberta and southwestern Manitoba south to Dakotas, Wyoming, and Colorado. Winters from Nebraska and Colorado southward.
Taxonomy
Habitat
Arid plains.
Behaviour
Nesting 3 or 4 pale green eggs, spotted with dark brown and black, in a hollow scrape lined with fine grass and hair, on open ground.
