Smith's Longspur

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Smith's Longspur
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Emberizidae Genus: Calcarius Species: C. pictus
Binomial name
Calcarius pictus (Swainson, 1832)

The Smith's Longspur, Calcarius pictus, is a small ground-feeding bird from the family Emberizidae, which also contains the American sparrows.

These birds have a short cone-shaped bill, a streaked back and a dark tail with white outer feathers. In breeding plumage, the male has yellow throat, nape and underparts and a black face with a white line over the eye and a white spot on the cheek. Other birds have light brown-streaked underparts, a dark crown, brown wings and a light-coloured face.

This bird breeds in open grassy areas near the tree line in northern Canada and Alaska. The female lays 3 to 5 eggs in a grass cup nest on the ground. These birds nest in small colonies; males do not defend territory. Both males and females may have more than one mate. The parents, one female and possibly more than one male, feed the young birds.

In winter, they migrate in flocks to open fields, including airports, in the south-central United States.

Migration is elliptical, with northbound birds staging in Illinois in the spring and traveling south through the Great Plains in the fall.

These birds forage on the ground, gathering in flocks outside of the nesting season. They mainly eat seeds, also eating insects in summer. Young birds are mainly fed insects.

The song is a warbled seet seet seet. The call is a dry rattle.

Audubon named this bird after his friend Gideon B. Smith.

Contents 1 References 2 Further reading 2.1 Book 2.2 Articles

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Calcarius pictus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Book

• Briskie, James V. 1993. Smith’s Longspur (Calcarius pictus). In The Birds of North America, No. 34. (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists’ Union.

[edit] Articles

• Briskie JV. (1992). COPULATION PATTERNS AND SPERM COMPETITION IN THE POLYGYNANDROUS SMITHS LONGSPUR. Auk. vol 109, no 3. p. 563-575.

• Briskie JV. (1993). ANATOMICAL ADAPTATIONS TO SPERM COMPETITION IN SMITHS LONGSPURS AND OTHER POLYGYNANDROUS PASSERINES. Auk. vol 110, no 4. p. 875-888.

• Briskie JV. (1999). Song variation and the structure of local song dialects in the polygynandrous Smith's Longspur. Can J Zool-Rev Can Zool. vol 77, no 10. p. 1587-1594.

• Briskie JV, Montgomerie R, Poldmaa T & Boag PT. (1998). Paternity and paternal care in the polygynandrous Smith's longspur. Behav Ecol Sociobiol. vol 43, no 3. p. 181-190.

• Bulmer W. (1969). 1st Record of Smiths Longspur in Connecticut USA. Auk. vol 86, no 2.

• Burke PS, Obbard ME, Sutherland DA, Jones CD, McCracken JD & Ridout R. (2006). First documented nest of Stilt Sandpiper in Ontario. Ontario Birds. vol 24, no 2. p. 75-83.

• Curry B, Miles JB & Marantz CA. (2002). Smith's Longspur: First record for Ontario in winter, and for the Hamilton area. Ontario Birds. vol 20, no 3. p. 120-129.

• Davis TH. (1976). 1st Record of Smiths Longspur in New-York. Auk. vol 93, no 4. p. 838-839.

• Grzybowski JA. (1976). Habitat Selection among Some Grassland Birds Wintering in Oklahoma USA. Annals of the Oklahoma Academy of Science. vol 6, p. 176-182.

• Harris B. (1974). Specimen Records for Smiths Longspur in Deuel and Roberts Counties. South Dakota Bird Notes. vol 26, no 1.

• Hussell DJT. (1971). Factors Affecting Clutch Size in Arctic Passerines. Dissertation Abstracts International B Sciences & Engineering. vol 32, no 3.

• Jehl JRJ. (1968). The Breeding Biology of Smiths Longspur Calcarius-Pictus Emberiza Behavior. Wilson Bulletin. vol 80, no 2. p. 123-149.

• Klicka J, Zink RM & Winker K. (2003). Longspurs and snow buntings: phylogeny and biogeography of a high-latitude clade (Calcarius). Mol Phylogenet Evol. vol 26, no 2. p. 165-175.

• Mancke RG. (1971). Smiths Longspur Visits Midland. Jack Pine Warbler. vol 49, no 4.

• Martin K, Hannon S & Moses R. (1981). Nesting of Smiths Longspurs Calcarius-Pictus in British-Columbia Canada. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 95, no 4. p. 469-470.

• Meddle SL, Owen-Ashley NT, Richardson MI & Wingfield JC. (2003). Modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of an Arctic-breeding polygynandrous songbird, the Smith's longspur, Calcarius pictus. Proc R Soc Lond Ser B-Biol Sci. vol 270, no 1526. p. 1849-1856.

• Roberts JP & Schnell GD. (2006). Comparison of survey methods for wintering grassland birds. J Field Ornithol. vol 77, no 1. p. 46-60.

• Ryff AJ. (1987). Smith's Longspur a Case of Neglect. Ontario Birds. vol 5, no 1. p. 2-20.

• Sage BL. (1976). The Breeding Distribution of Smiths Longspur in Alaska. Condor. vol 78, no 1. p. 116-117.

• Yee DG, Bailey SF & Deuel BE. (1991). The Autumn Migration August 1-November 30 1990 Middle Pacific Coast Region USA. American Birds. vol 45, no 1. p. 145-149.