Smith's Longspur

Calcarius pictus

Polygamous in every direction. The most promiscuous songbird in North America delivers your message between assignations.

Population: ~75,000 mature individuals (global breeding population, Partners in Flight 2019 estimate, corroborated by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Habitat: Breeds on moist, grassy arctic and subarctic tundra and open taiga near the tree line; winters in open grasslands, prairies, agricultural fields, and short-grass habitats such as airport fields
Fun fact: Smith's Longspur has an unusual polygynandrous mating system in which females typically mate with multiple males (with copulation rates among the highest recorded for any bird), and multiple males may help feed the resulting brood — a rare arrangement among songbirds.
Range: Breeds across northern Alaska and the Canadian Arctic (Yukon to Hudson Bay); migrates through the Great Plains/Illinois corridor and winters in south-central United States (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas)
Diet: Mostly seeds when on wintering/migration grounds; shifts to insects and spiders during the breeding season, especially to feed nestlings
Size: 0.16 m
Wingspan: 0.25 m
Lifespan: 7 years

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