Thick-billed Longspur Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesThick-billed Longspur
Breeding male
Chunky, sparrowlike grassland bird. Breeding males have a black breast, gray belly, chestnut wing patch, and a gray-and-white face.
© Bryan Calk / Macaulay LibraryColorado, June 30, 2018Female
Chunky grassland bird with a stout bill. Females have a stout pink bill and chestnut wing patches that can sometimes be difficult to see. Note unstreaked whitish belly.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 20, 2012Breeding male
Song is a soft tinkling warble. Males usually sing while flying, as part of an aerial display, but also sing while perched on an elevated surface such as a rock, fence, or shrub.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryColorado, July 06, 2011Male display
Male flutters upward and descends on outstretched wings and tail during aerial displays on the breeding grounds. The outstretched tail is white with a black T.
© Shawn Billerman / Macaulay LibraryWyoming, April 12, 2014Flock
Forms flocks outside of the breeding season. Note black T on the tail and black band on the breast of the males.
© Tom Johnson / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 05, 2016Breeding male
Breeding males have a black breast band and crown and a chestnut wing patch.
© Shawn Billerman / Macaulay LibraryWyoming, April 12, 2014Immature female
Immatures have a chunky bill, a broad stripe over the eye, a smudgy brown band across the breast, and unstreaked white underparts. They don't have rufous in the wing like adults do.
© Jonah Benningfield / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, October 10, 2017Juvenile
Juveniles look heavily mottled overall with white fringed feathers. Note stout pink bill.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryMontana, July 26, 2017Molting male (with Horned Lark)
Slightly smaller than a Horned Lark with a stout pink bill. Note faint black breast band on this molting male.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, November 23, 2003Similar SpeciesChestnut-collared Longspur
nonbreeding
Chestnut-collared Longspurs have a smaller bill than Thick-billed Longspurs. The best way to separate them is tail pattern as seen in flight; a black triangle on Chestnut-collared and a black "T" on Thick-billed Longspurs.
© Jacob Drucker / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, November 13, 2016Similar SpeciesLapland Longspur
Nonbreeding/immature
Nonbreeding/immature Lapland Longspurs are darker overall with a more contrasting face pattern than the rather plain face on nonbreeding/female Thick-billed Longspurs. In flight, they don't have the black "T" on the tail like Thick-billed Longspurs.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, December 19, 2003Similar SpeciesSmith's Longspur
Nonbreeding
Nonbreeding Smith's Longspurs have buffier and more streaked bellies than nonbreeding/female Thick-billed Longspurs. They also have a smaller bill than Thick-billed Longspurs and lack the black "T" on the tail seen in flight.
© Luke Seitz / Macaulay LibraryMaine, September 25, 2011Similar SpeciesVesper Sparrow
Adult/immature
Vesper Sparrows have streaks on their sides that female/nonbreeding Thick-billed Longspurs lack.
© John Reynolds / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, September 04, 2016Similar SpeciesHorned Lark
Female
Horned Larks have a thinner bill than the chunky-billed Thick-billed Longspur. Females have a yellow wash on the throat not seen on Thick-billed Longspurs.
© Bridget Spencer / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, September 04, 2015Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Longspurs and Snow Buntings(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Calcariidae)
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