LAPLAND LONGSPUR
536. Calcarius lapponicus. 6¼ inches
Male in summer with black crown and throat and chestnut nape; female similar but duller; winter plumage, with feathers of head and neck tipped with grayish so as to conceal the bright markings.
As indicated by its name, this is a Northern species, which spends the cold months in northern U. S., traveling in flocks and resting and feeding on side hills, often with [Snowflakes], or on lower ground with [Horned Larks].
Song.—A sweet trill or warble, frequently given while in flight; call, a sharp chip.
Nest.—Of mosses, grasses and feathers placed on the ground in tussocks or on grassy hummocks. In June and July they lay from four to six eggs having a grayish ground color, which is nearly obscured by the numerous blotches of brown and lavender (.80 × .60).
Range.—Breeds from Labrador northward and winters south to South Carolina and Texas. A sub-species is found in the West.
