Birds · Passeriformes · Calcariidae

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Lapland longspur is a bird of the circumpolar Arctic tundra, the male showing in summer a black head, a chestnut nape and a strongly marked white eyebrow. It breeds on the ground among the low Arctic vegetation and winters in large flocks in fields and steppes of the northern hemisphere. It is one of the few passerines that breeds right around the Arctic belt of the planet.

Weight

20 g – 33 g

Size

14 cm – 16 cm

Lifespan

8 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

It is one of the very few passerines with a circumpolar distribution: it breeds on the tundra of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia and Siberia, practically without a break right around the pole.
In March 1904 a snowstorm in Minnesota killed more than a million and a half Lapland longspurs in a single night during their migration, one of the best-documented mass bird die-offs in history.
Its winter flocks can gather tens of thousands of birds in the cereal fields, moving in waves that give the ground a rippling look.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Arctic tundra for breeding; steppes, fields and coasts of the northern hemisphere for wintering
Birth weight: Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Size at birth: Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 12 days
Litter / clutch size: 5

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcarius_lapponicus

Where to find it

See its range on the interactive map

Best time: From June to July on the Arctic tundra, during the breeding season; in winter it forms flocks in open country across Europe, Asia and North America.