One of the 5 buntings on WAnimals
Birds · Passeriformes · Calcariidae
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalis
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The snow bunting is the passerine that breeds furthest north on the planet: there are breeding populations in northern Greenland and on the northernmost Arctic islands. The male in summer is pure black and white, a contrast that makes him unmistakable against snow and rock. It nests in crevices and scree, an essential refuge at those temperatures, and in winter it moves down to coasts and fields across northern Eurasia and North America.
Weight
30 g – 45 g
Size
15 cm – 18 cm
Life expectancy
10 years
