Species
Lapland longspur
Calcarius lapponicus
An Arctic songbird that winters in bare fields, occasionally found in flocks of larks in Georgia.
Photo Blake Ross (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 15 to 17 cm long
- Weight
- About 23 to 30 g
- Habitat
- Bare fields and short grass in winter
- Diet
- Seeds and insects
- In Georgia
- A rare winter visitor
- Voice
- A dry rattle in flight
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Sparrow-like; streaked back; rusty patch on the wing; long hind claw
- Told apart from
- Horned lark, which has a black face pattern
- Where to look
- Bare fields with horned larks in winter
Behaviour
Lapland longspurs walk on bare ground feeding on seeds, often with horned larks.
Why they matter
This longspur breeds around the Arctic and winters in huge numbers on the Great Plains. Birds reaching Georgia are on the edge of that range.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup on the ground in tundra
Eggs — Usually five or six
Incubation — About 11 to 13 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Bare winter fields support them.
Misconceptions
- All streaky brown field birds are sparrows. Longspurs are a separate group.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Rare in Georgia | Rare | Leaving | Migrating north | Nesting in the Arctic | Nesting | Chicks | Moving south | Migrating | Migrating | Arriving on the plains | Rare in Georgia |
Where it lives
Recorded in 33 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamain winter
- Alaskabreeding
- Connecticutin winter
- Georgiain winter
- Illinoisin winter
- Indianain winter
- Iowain winter
- Kansasin winter
- Michiganin winter
- Minnesotain winter
- Mississippiin winter
- Missouriin winter
- Montanain winter
- Nebraskain winter
- New Hampshirein winter
- North Dakotain winter
- Ohioin winter
- Oklahomain winter
- South Dakotain winter
- Tennesseein winter
- Wisconsinin winter
If you found one
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