Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.1–6.7 in
13–17 cm - Weight
- 0.6–0.8 oz
18–23 g
Other Names
- Bruant à ventre noir, Bruant à collier chatâin (French)
- Arnoldo de collar castano (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Chestnut-collared Longspur bred historically at sites recently grazed by bison or disturbed by fire. Even today, it avoids nesting in areas protected from grazing, instead preferring pastures and mowed areas such as airstrips, as well as grazed native prairie habitats.
- "Longspur" refers to the elongated claw of the hind toe.
Habitat
Grassland
Breeds on short-grass plains and prairies. Winters in open cultivated fields.
Food
Insects
Seeds and insects.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–5 eggs
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Ground Forager
Conservation
Near Threatened
Populations appear to be declining in most areas.
Credits
- 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.