Lapland Longspur

Lapland Longspur female (left) and male (right) sit on a hummock in tussock tundra.

NPS/Jared Hughey

 

Calcarius lapponicus
Family: Calcariidae

With a circumpolar arctic breeding distribution, Lapland longspur is the passerine most strongly associated with arctic tundra. This gorgeous songbird breeds in high densities in appropriate habitat and is very easy to observe during the breeding season. Its unique warbling song is at the forefront of the arctic tundra soundscape and becomes part of the memory for those who visit between late-May and mid-July.

 

Species Profile

Habitat: Breeds in wet, hummocky tussock tundra with mixed dwarf shrubs, mosses, and sedges and sometimes in drier alpine tundra. Nests on the ground. Nest usually placed under the structure of a tussock sedge (tussock cotton grass).

Where to find in the park: Found north or upslope of treeline in areas with gentle sloping tundra including north-flowing river valleys and northern foothills. Itkillik, Anaktuvuk, and Killik river valleys.

Migration: Short-distant migrant. In North America, migrates along the Central Flyway, wintering across the central and eastern U.S. in fields, prairies, and in other open ground habitats. Farmland has replaced native prairie in its core wintering range in the Great Plains. Gathers in large flocks and is considered one of the most abundant landbirds to winter in North America.

Behavior: During breeding, males sing from a prominent hummock or boulder but also perform a flight song display during which a male will rapidly ascend to 15-65 feet above the ground and, at the top of its climb, begin to sing continuously as he slowly glides to the ground with wings outstretched.

Interesting fact: Longspurs get their name for the particularly long claw on its rear-facing toe.

Conservation and management: Abundant and not considered threatened or of conservation concern, although global climate warming may cause widespread loss of breeding habitat as shrub cover increases and expands throughout the lower latitudes of the arctic, including in the park.

 

Lapland Longspur abundance.

Fink, D., T. Auer, A. Johnston, M. Strimas-Mackey, O. Robinson, S. Ligocki, W. Hochachka, C. Wood, I. Davies, M. Iliff, L. Seitz. 2020. eBird Status and Trends, Data Version: 2019; Released: 2020. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York.

 

References

Fink, D., T. Auer, A. Johnston, M. Strimas-Mackey, O. Robinson, S. Ligocki, W. Hochachka, C. Wood, I. Davies, M. Iliff, L. Seitz. 2020. eBird Status and Trends, Data Version: 2019; Released: 2020. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. https://doi.org/10.2173/ebirdst.2019

Hussell, D. J. T. and R. Montgomerie (2020). Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.arlis.idm.oclc.org/10.2173/bow.laplon.01

 

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