Snow Bunting

The Snow Bunting holds the distinction of breeding farther north than any other songbird, nesting on Arctic tundra and rocky terrain at the very edge of habitable land. Its plumage transformation between breeding and nonbreeding seasons is one of the most dramatic of any North American bird.

Breeding males are strikingly white with a black back and black wingtips, giving them a snowball-like appearance that inspired the species' common name. The plumage most familiar to birders farther south, however, is the winter (nonbreeding) plumage seen from fall through spring: a warm, rusty-brown bird streaked with buffy tones on the head and back, with large white patches in the wings that flash conspicuously in flight.

Outside the breeding season, Snow Buntings form large, often mixed flocks that forage across open, wind-swept terrain, frequently in the company of Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs.

Key Field Marks

• Breeding male: mostly white with a black back and black wingtips
• Winter plumage: warm rusty-brown overall, streaked, with large white wing patches visible in flight
• Stout, conical bill, black in summer and yellowish in winter
• Often seen in flocks on open ground in winter

Similar Species

• Lapland Longspur: also winters in open fields in flocks but shows a rustier nape patch and a dark ear patch rather than large white wing panels
• Horned Lark: has a distinctive black facial pattern and small dark 'horns,' and lacks the bold white wing patches of the Snow Bunting

In flight, the extensive white in the wings and tail is one of the most reliable field marks for winter Snow Buntings, often visible even at a distance in a moving flock.

Snow Buntings breed on Arctic tundra and rocky terrain across the circumpolar north, including the northernmost islands of Canada, Greenland, and Eurasia, nesting in rock crevices that offer some protection from the harsh Arctic climate.

In winter, the species migrates south to open habitats across southern Canada and the northern United States, favoring wind-swept agricultural fields, prairies, dunes, and shorelines, where flocks forage on exposed ground, often in areas with sparse snow cover that allows access to seeds.

Behavior

Outside the breeding season, Snow Buntings are highly gregarious, forming large flocks that move together across open fields and shorelines, often flying up in coordinated swirls when disturbed.

Voice

The song is a sweet, musical warble given on the breeding grounds; the flight call, frequently heard from wintering flocks, is a distinctive rippling, buzzy rattle or a whistled 'tew.'

Feeding

Diet is mostly seeds in winter, gleaned from the ground in open fields and along shorelines, shifting to insects during the brief Arctic summer breeding season.

Nesting and Breeding

Nests are built in rock crevices or cavities, which provide insulation against extreme Arctic conditions, lined with soft plant material, fur, and feathers. Clutches typically contain 4-7 pale eggs with fine markings.