Smith's Longspur

The Smith's Longspur stands apart from its relatives by its warm, buffy-orange tones, quite different from the black-bellied pattern typical of other longspurs, and by an unusual breeding system in which females routinely mate with multiple males in a single season.

Breeding males show rich buffy-orange underparts and face, set off by a bold black-and-white head pattern and a distinctive white patch on the shoulder, visible both perched and in flight. Females and winter birds are duller but retain much of the warm buffy wash that distinguishes the species from other longspurs.

The species has an especially narrow winter range, concentrated in a relatively small area of native and semi-native grassland in the south-central United States, making it one of the more localized and sought-after winter birds for grassland specialists.

Key Field Marks

• Warm buffy-orange face and underparts, unlike the black-bellied pattern of most other longspurs
• Bold black-and-white head pattern in breeding males
• White patch on the shoulder (lesser coverts)
• Sharply pointed tail feathers

Similar Species

• Chestnut-collared and Lapland Longspur: both show black or dark underparts rather than the warm buffy tones of Smith's Longspur
• Sprague's Pipit: shares similar prairie winter habitat but has a plainer, streakier appearance without the buffy-orange coloring or shoulder patch

The warm, unstreaked buffy underparts combined with the white shoulder patch are the most reliable marks separating this species from all other longspurs.

Smith's Longspur breeds in Arctic and subarctic tundra with tussock grass and sedge across northern Alaska and Canada, favoring drier, well-vegetated tundra rather than wet lowland habitat.

In winter, the species has an unusually narrow and specific range, concentrated in native prairie remnants, pastures, and grassy airfields of the south-central United States, particularly Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas, where it often associates closely with cattle pastures and short, native grass cover.

Behavior

On the wintering grounds, Smith's Longspurs often forage in tight flocks in short grass, sometimes closely associated with cattle, and can be inconspicuous due to their cryptic plumage when not breeding.

Voice

The song is a rich, buzzy, jingling series of notes, delivered on the breeding grounds, often as part of display behavior.

Feeding

Diet includes seeds and insects, with insects more important during the Arctic breeding season and seeds dominating the winter diet in prairie grassland.

Nesting and Breeding

The species has an unusual mating system in which females often mate with multiple males in a season (polygynandry), and multiple males may help provision young at a single nest. The nest is a grass-lined cup built on the ground amid tundra tussocks.