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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 including grasslands, prairies, tundra, mountains, and beaches. Description Members of Calcariidae range in mass from around (the chestnut-collared longspur) to around ( McKay's bunting). Species have brown, grey, and white plumage, with dark brown or black irises. The legs of the snow bunting and McKay's bunting are dark gray or black, while legs of other species in the family range from dull pink to brown. Taxonomy The birds in Calcariidae were formerly assigned to the family Emberizidae (typically known as buntings in the Old World and sparrows in the New World). A 2008 phylogenetic study by Alström and colleagues confirmed that the members of this family form a clade quite separated from the Emberizidae, with affinities instead with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lapland Longspur
The Lapland longspur (''Calcarius lapponicus''), also known as the Lapland bunting, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae, a group separated by most modern authors from the Fringillidae (Old World finches). Etymology The English name refers to the long hind claws. The genus name ''Calcarius'' is from Latin ''calcaria'', "spurs", and the specific ''lapponicus'' refers to Lapland. Description The Lapland longspur is a robust bird, with a thick yellow seed-eater's bill. The summer male has a black head and throat, white eyestripe, chestnut nape, white underparts, and a heavily streaked black-grey back. Other plumages have a plainer orange-brown head, a browner back and chestnut nape and wing panels. Measurements: * Length: 5.9-6.3 in (15-16 cm) * Weight: 0.8-1.2 oz (22.3-33.1 g) * Wingspan: 8.7-11.4 in (22-29 cm) Distribution and habitat It breeds across Arctic Europe and the Palearctic and in Canada and the northernmost United States. It is migratory, winterin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plectrophenax Nivalis1
''Plectrophenax'' is a small genus of passerine birds of the longspur family Calcariidae. Taxonomy The genus ''Plectrophenax'' was introduced in 1882 by the Norwegian born zoologist Leonhard Stejneger with the snow bunting as the type species. The name combines the Ancient Greek ''plēktron'' meaning "cock’s spur" with ''phenax'' meaning "imposter". Species The genus contains two species, which may be conspecific. They are high Arctic breeding seed-eating 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 ...s with stubby, conical bills, and much white in the plumage, especially in adult males. They nest in rock crevices. As would be expected, both species are highly migratory, wintering in more temperate areas. The plumages are similar, but McKay's has more white and le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emberizidae
The buntings are a group of Old World passerine birds forming the genus ''Emberiza'', the only genus in the family Emberizidae. The family contains 45 species. They are seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills. Taxonomy The family Emberizidae was formerly much larger and included the species now placed in the Passerellidae (New World sparrows) and Calcariidae (longspurs and snow buntings). Molecular phylogenetic studies found that the large family consisted of distinct clades that were better treated as separate families. The genus ''Emberiza'' is now the only genus placed in the family Emberizidae. The genus was introduced by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. The type species was subsequently designated as the yellowhammer (''Emberiza citrinella''). The genus name ''Emberiza'' is from Old German ''Embritz'', a bunting. The origin of the English "bunting" is unknown. A 2008 genetic study found that three emberizid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snow Bunting
The snow bunting (''Plectrophenax nivalis'') is a passerine bird in the family Calcariidae. It is an Arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere. There are small isolated populations on a few high mountain tops south of the Arctic region, including the Cairngorms in central Scotland and the Saint Elias Mountains on the southern Alaska-Yukon border, as well as the Cape Breton Highlands. The snow bunting is the most northerly recorded passerine in the world. Taxonomy The snow bunting was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the buntings in the genus ''Emberiza'' and coined the binomial name ''Emberiza nivalis''. He specified the locality as Lapland. It is now placed in the genus ''Plectrophenax'' that was introduced in 1882 by the Norwegian born zoologist Leonhard Stejneger with the snow bunting as the type species. The genus name ''P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lapland Longspur
The Lapland longspur (''Calcarius lapponicus''), also known as the Lapland bunting, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae, a group separated by most modern authors from the Fringillidae (Old World finches). Etymology The English name refers to the long hind claws. The genus name ''Calcarius'' is from Latin ''calcaria'', "spurs", and the specific ''lapponicus'' refers to Lapland. Description The Lapland longspur is a robust bird, with a thick yellow seed-eater's bill. The summer male has a black head and throat, white eyestripe, chestnut nape, white underparts, and a heavily streaked black-grey back. Other plumages have a plainer orange-brown head, a browner back and chestnut nape and wing panels. Measurements: * Length: 5.9-6.3 in (15-16 cm) * Weight: 0.8-1.2 oz (22.3-33.1 g) * Wingspan: 8.7-11.4 in (22-29 cm) Distribution and habitat It breeds across Arctic Europe and the Palearctic and in Canada and the northernmost United States. It is migratory, winterin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thick-billed Longspur
The thick-billed longspur, formerly known as McCown's longspur (''Rhynchophanes mccownii''), is a small ground-feeding bird in the family Calcariidae, which also contains the other longspurs and snow buntings. It is found in North America and is the only species in the genus ''Rhynchophanes''. Taxonomy The thick-billed longspur was described in 1851 by the American amateur ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence under the English name rufous-winged lark bunting. He placed it in the genus ''Plectrophanes'' and coined the binomial name ''Plectrophanes mccownii''. It was moved into its own genus ''Rhynchophanes'' in 1858 by Spencer Baird on account of its bill size and short spur, but was moved to '' Calcarius'' after a hybrid with the chestnut-collared longspur was discovered. It was once again placed in its own genus after a 2003 genetic study found it was more closely related to the snow buntings than the other longspurs. The name "McCown" refers to Captain John P. McCown, an Ame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snow Bunting
The snow bunting (''Plectrophenax nivalis'') is a passerine bird in the family Calcariidae. It is an Arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere. There are small isolated populations on a few high mountain tops south of the Arctic region, including the Cairngorms in central Scotland and the Saint Elias Mountains on the southern Alaska-Yukon border, as well as the Cape Breton Highlands. The snow bunting is the most northerly recorded passerine in the world. Taxonomy The snow bunting was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the buntings in the genus ''Emberiza'' and coined the binomial name ''Emberiza nivalis''. He specified the locality as Lapland. It is now placed in the genus ''Plectrophenax'' that was introduced in 1882 by the Norwegian born zoologist Leonhard Stejneger with the snow bunting as the type species. The genus name ''P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plectrophenax
''Plectrophenax'' is a small genus of passerine birds of the longspur family Calcariidae. Taxonomy The genus ''Plectrophenax'' was introduced in 1882 by the Norwegian born zoologist Leonhard Stejneger with the snow bunting as the type species. The name combines the Ancient Greek ''plēktron'' meaning "cock’s spur" with ''phenax'' meaning "imposter". Species The genus contains two species, which may be conspecific. They are high Arctic breeding seed-eating 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 ...s with stubby, conical bills, and much white in the plumage, especially in adult males. They nest in rock crevices. As would be expected, both species are highly migratory, wintering in more temperate areas. The plumages are similar, but McKay's has more white and le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calcarius
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 placed in a separate genus. These are chunky ground-feeding birds with long wings which are usually seen in open areas. Males declare ownership of a territory by singing during short flights over it. The male's breeding plumage is much brighter than his winter plumage. These birds gather in large flocks in winter. The longspurs are all found in North America; the Lapland longspur, or Lapland bunting, is also found in Europe and Asia. Species The species are: The genus name ''Calcarius'' is from Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the powe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thick-billed Longspur
The thick-billed longspur, formerly known as McCown's longspur (''Rhynchophanes mccownii''), is a small ground-feeding bird in the family Calcariidae, which also contains the other longspurs and snow buntings. It is found in North America and is the only species in the genus ''Rhynchophanes''. Taxonomy The thick-billed longspur was described in 1851 by the American amateur ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence under the English name rufous-winged lark bunting. He placed it in the genus ''Plectrophanes'' and coined the binomial name ''Plectrophanes mccownii''. It was moved into its own genus ''Rhynchophanes'' in 1858 by Spencer Baird on account of its bill size and short spur, but was moved to '' Calcarius'' after a hybrid with the chestnut-collared longspur was discovered. It was once again placed in its own genus after a 2003 genetic study found it was more closely related to the snow buntings than the other longspurs. The name "McCown" refers to Captain John P. McCown, an Ame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by the arrangement of their toes (three pointing forward and one back), which facilitates perching. With more than 140 families and some 6,500 identified species, Passeriformes is the largest clade of birds and among the most diverse clades of terrestrial vertebrates, representing 60% of birds.Ericson, P.G.P. et al. (2003Evolution, biogeography, and patterns of diversification in passerine birds ''J. Avian Biol'', 34:3–15.Selvatti, A.P. et al. (2015"A Paleogene origin for crown passerines and the diversification of the Oscines in the New World" ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'', 88:1–15. Passerines are divided into three clades: Acanthisitti (New Zealand wrens), Tyranni (suboscines), and Passeri (oscines or songbirds). The passeri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 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 prairies 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 bir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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