The Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) is a small songbird that breeds in the Arctic tundra. It is a migratory species, spending the winter in more temperate regions. The Lapland longspur’s breeding habitat and range are closely tied to the Arctic tundra biome.
What is the Lapland longspur?
The Lapland longspur is a medium-sized sparrow, measuring 14–16 cm in length and weighing 20–39 g. It has distinctive black, white, brown, and buff plumage. Breeding males have a black face, throat, and breast, with chestnut nape and brown back. Females are paler overall, with a streaked buff breast. Both sexes have white outer tail feathers that are conspicuous in flight.
The Lapland longspur is a member of the family Calcariidae, which includes other Arctic-breeding sparrows like the snow bunting. It is closely related to other longspur species such as the chestnut-collared longspur which occupies more southerly grassland regions.
Lapland longspur breeding habitat
The Lapland longspur breeds nowhere else but the Arctic tundra. Its breeding range is circumpolar, occurring throughout Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Russian Far East.
Specifically, the Lapland longspur inhabits open tundra with low-growing shrubs and sedges, moist meadows, bogs, and coastal rock slopes. It prefers sites with good drainage and low vegetation cover to conceal its ground nest. Though a tundra specialist, it can inhabit dwarf shrub habitats more prolifically than other tundra songbirds.
Within its Arctic breeding grounds, the Lapland longspur can be found from sea level up to 2100 m elevation. It does not inhabit the permanent ice fields of the High Arctic, though it may forage on ice or snow-free patches nearby.
Key breeding habitat requirements
– Low, open vegetation like shrub and sedge tundra
– Well-drained sites for nesting
– Accessible rocky slopes and ridges
– Within 2100 m elevation in the Arctic
– Ice-free foraging areas
Lapland longspur wintering habitat
The Lapland longspur is a long-distance migrant, traveling up to 4000 km between its Arctic breeding grounds and wintering range in temperate regions. It migrates through and winters across much of southern Canada, the northern United States, Europe, and Asia.
Its winter habitats are varied but include:
– Open fields and pastures
– Coastal sand dunes and beaches
– Plowed agricultural fields with stubble
– Wet coastal meadows and salt marshes
Unlike its tundra breeding habitat, the Lapland longspur can inhabit elevations from sea level up to 3000 m in its wintering range. It primarily requires open habitats with low, sparse vegetation and abundant seed resources. Though partly migratory, some northern populations like those in Alaska are resident in winter, inhabiting windswept mountain slopes and alpine areas with sparse vegetation.
Key winter habitat requirements
– Open areas with low vegetation for foraging
– Grasslands, meadows, shorelines preferred
– Grain fields and agricultural areas provide food
– Up to 3000 m elevation
– Sparsely vegetated alpine areas in the north
Geographic breeding distribution
The Lapland longspur breeds entirely within the Arctic tundra biome. This biome encircles the northern pole and spans Alaska, Canada, Greenland, northern Europe, Russia, and Siberia. The longspur’s breeding range overlaps with the full extent of tundra habitat.
Some key details about its circumpolar Arctic breeding distribution:
– Alaska – Abundant breeder across Alaskan tundra from the Bering Sea to the Beaufort Sea. Also northern/upland areas.
– Canada – Common breeder across Canadian tundra and islands north of treeline. Less common in Quebec/Labrador.
– Greenland – Widespread and common breeder across entire ice-free region.
– Europe – Breeds on Svalbard, Scandinavian peninsula, and Arctic Russia east to Ural mountains.
– Siberia – Abundant breeder from Ural mountains east across Siberian tundra zone.
– Russia – Northeast Siberia, coastal Chukotka, Wrangel Island, other Arctic islands.
The Lapland longspur shares the tundra breeding habitat with shorebirds, songbirds like snow buntings, and other tundra specialists. It is abundant wherever low shrub and sedge vegetation occur.
Breeding range map
Wintering distribution and migration
The Lapland longspur undertakes long-distance migrations between its high Arctic breeding grounds and wintering areas as far south as the southern United States and northern Asia. Its winter range spans:
– Canada – Southern Canadian provinces from British Columbia to Quebec.
– United States – Northern states, the Great Plains, Great Lakes region, Northeast.
– Europe – Scandinavia, Britain, and from Belgium east to Russia and the Black Sea.
– Asia – Southern Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, Japan.
The longspur migrates through central North America, following prairie grasslands and agricultural land towards its wintering range. It forms enormous mixed flocks with other songbirds during migration.
Spring migration follows a similar but reversed route back to the tundra breeding areas, timed to match emergence of insects and snowmelt for nesting in late May or June. The longspur exhibits strong wintering site fidelity, returning to the same regions each year.
Key wintering regions
– Great Plains grasslands (United States)
– Great Lakes region (United States/Canada)
– Maritime provinces (Canada)
– Scandinavia and northern Europe
– Central Siberia
Ideal habitat
The ideal year-round habitat for the Lapland longspur consists of:
Breeding (summer)
– Low Arctic shrub and sedge tundra
– Well-drained sites with low vegetation
– Access to rocky slopes and ridges
– Snow-free foraging areas in early spring
Wintering (nonbreeding)
– Open fields and grasslands
– Lightly grazed pastures
– Coastal beaches and dunes
– Grain stubble in agricultural regions
Migration
– Prairie and agricultural land corridors
– Stopover sites with bare ground and low vegetation
The longspur thrives in open habitats with adequate food sources and nesting sites. Conservation of different seasonal habitats across its migratory range is important to maintain global populations.
Population and conservation
The Lapland longspur has an extremely large global population estimated at 27 million individual adults. Partners in Flight estimates a breeding population of 15 million in North America alone. It is therefore listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN. Population trends appear stable across most of its range.
Threats include habitat loss on its wintering grounds and climate change affecting the Arctic tundra. Maintaining stopover sites during migration is also an important conservation need. The longspur adapts readily to human-altered habitats like agricultural land when nesting areas are intact.
Overall this abundant songbird remains widespread and secure across its circumpolar Arctic breeding range thanks to remote tundra habitat. Maintaining conservation of its wintering and migratory habitats will help ensure Lapland longspurs continue to brighten the spring with their exuberant song.