Snow Bunting

The snow bunting, as the name suggests, is a winter bird. The migratory bird has crossed with other species like Lapland bunting.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Calcariidae
Genus	Plectrophenax
Scientific Name	Plectrophenax nivalis

Quick Information

Description	Size:  Around 5.9 in (15 cm) Wingspan: 12.5-14.9 in (32-38 cm) Weight: 1.05-1.4 oz (30-40 g) Color: White body with black streaked wings while femalesare the same but males change their shades during summer and winter
Distribution	Iceland, Norway, Russia, Siberia, North Greenland, Scotland, southern Canada, Poland, Germany, and Ukraine
Habitat	Tundra
Sounds & Calls	“hudidi feet feet feew hudidi” and “per,r,r,rit”
Lifespan	Around 9 years
Diet	Weeds like goosefoot, ragweed, knotweed, aster, amaranth, and seeds like poppy, bilberry,  crowberry and spiders, wasps, butterflies
Adaptation	Its beak is short yet strong, perfect for eating seeds, weeds and insects. The tarsi (parts of feet) is feathered for surviving in the chilly weather
Predators	Arctic foxes, falcons, skuas, and snowy owls
IUCN Conservation Status	Least Concern

Behavior

• Snow buntings clean their feathers with hard-packed snow.
• Male birds go to the breeding site at least 3-4 weeks before their counterparts to set up their nesting ground.

Mating & Reproduction

Male and female snow bunters both sing to catch each other’s attention. The male stops signing upon finding the mate. After the mating, females lay around 2-7 eggs which are incubated for 10-15 days. The eggs are cream colored with brown spots.

Life-cycle

After the hatching, the juveniles take around 12-14 days before flying.

Interesting Facts

• Each male snow bunter has different vocalizations.
• The song of the birds is a parameter for judging who is going to be a better parent, as the singing capacity ensures better foraging capacity which is in again a condition for being a good parent.
• Snow bunters are known to spot Earth’s magnetic fields.
•  Due to some similarities snow buntings have with McKay’s bunting, the two species are commonly confused.