The Snow Bunting, a sparrow sized bird stands about six inches tall and has a short cone shaped black beak. The male Snow Bunting has large white patches on its wings It head and belly are ivory and its back, wings and tail are black. The Snow Bunting's plumage is worn on the breeding grounds in the Arctic The female bunting has a white head with some dark streaking Like the male the female's belly is colored ivory with stripes of black and grey.
In the winter months the male Snow Bunting displays a cinnamon Crown patch on its ear rump and sides. Its wings shoulders are black with a black blotch on its outer tail feathers and the rest of plumage is white. Also in the snow covered months the adult female Snow Bunting is similar in its plumage except it has more black in tail and more brown on her back, wings and flanks.
In the spring time when the buntings migrate north they molt their buff and white winter plumage. By the time they reach the Arctic tundra to breed their plumage has changed to black and white.
The Snow Bunting winters in southern Canada and the northern and central United States. Inhabits- It inhabits open areas: tundra, beaches and barren fields In severe winters large flocks descend to our northern states, where they favor the most barren places.
In North America, the Snow Bunting breeds from northern Alaska, Prince Patrick Island, Northern Ellesmere Island and Northern Greenland, Northern Quebec and Northern British Columbia usually on high mountain tops.
The Snow Bunting breeds farther north than almost any other land bird. After mating and nest building the female Snow Bunting lays between four and six eggs. She sits on the eggs for about two weeks and about 2 ½ weeks later the new born birds fledge. The Snow Buntings usually have only one brood each
It feeds on the ground in flocks searching for weed seeds with a supplemental diet of insects
Its distinctive call note is given in flight with its shrill twittering; the birds tumbled earthward, suddenly landing among the stones.
In Alaska, the McKay's Bunting is similar to the Snow Bunting but has a white back.
The birds, wanderers from Iceland and even Greenland, were attracted to the beaches and dunes throughout the short winter days, Predator- On one occasion the hawk forced a bunting into the sea, not even troubling to retrieve it. Human traffic will interfere with the Snow Bunting's usual routine.Sadly, numbers have steadily declined during the past two decades.
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