The chestnut-collared longspur (''Calcarius ornatus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family

Calcariidae Calcariidae is a small family of passerine birds. It includes longspurs and snow buntings. There are six species in three genera worldwide, found mainly in North America and Eurasia. They are migratory and can live in a variety of habitats includ ...

. Like the other

longspur The longspurs, genus ''Calcarius'', are a group of birds in the family Calcariidae. The name refers to the long claw on the hind toe of each foot. The genus formerly included the thick-billed longspur, ''Rhyncophanes mccownii'', which is now p ...

s, it is a small ground-feeding bird that primarily eats seeds. It breeds in

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

habitats in Canada and the northern United States and winters to the south in the United States and Mexico.

Description

These birds have a short conical bill, a streaked back and a white tail with a dark tip. In breeding plumage, the male has black underparts, a chestnut nape, a yellow throat and a black crown. Other birds have light brown underparts, a dark crown, brown wings and may have some chestnut on the nape. Measurements: * Length: 5.1-6.5 in (13-16.5 cm) * Weight: 0.6-0.8 oz (17-23 g) * Wingspan: 25-27 cm

Distribution and status

This bird breeds in short and mixed grass

s in central Canada and the north central United States. In winter, they migrate in flocks to prairies and open fields in the southern United States and Mexico. Like other prairie birds, they have disappeared from some areas because of habitat loss but are still fairly common. Controlled burns may benefit this species as they feed on low-growing plants that are more easily spotted after a fire.

Behavior

These birds forage on the ground, gathering in flocks in winter. They mainly eat seeds, also eating insects in summer. Young birds are mainly fed insects. The female lays 4 or 5 eggs in a grass cup nest in a shallow scrape on the ground. The male sings and flies up to defend his territory. Both parents feed the young birds.Hill, D. P., and L. K. Gould. 1997. ''Chesnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus)''. In ''The Birds of North America'', No. 288 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. The call is a two-syllabled ''chee dee''.

References

External links

Chestnut-collared longspur species account
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology

- USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
Chestnut-collared longspur videos
on the Internet Bird Collection

VIREO {{Taxonbar, from=Q927367

chestnut-collared longspur The chestnut-collared longspur (''Calcarius ornatus'') is a species of bird in the family Calcariidae. Like the other longspurs, it is a small ground-feeding bird that primarily eats seeds. It breeds in prairie habitats in Canada and the norther ...

Native birds of the Canadian Prairies Native birds of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Fauna of the Chihuahuan Desert