Chestnut-collared longspur

The chestnut-collared longspur (Calcarius ornatus) is a species of bird in the family Calcariidae. Like the other longspurs, it is a small ground-feeding bird that primarily eats seeds. It breeds in prairie habitats in Canada and the northern United States and winters to the south in the United States and Mexico.

Description
These birds have a short conical bill, a streaked back and a white tail with a dark tip. In breeding plumage, the male has black underparts, a chestnut nape, a yellow throat and a black crown. Other birds have light brown underparts, a dark crown, brown wings and may have some chestnut on the nape.

Measurements:


 * Length: 5.1-6.5 in (13-16.5 cm)
 * Weight: 0.6-0.8 oz (17-23 g)
 * Wingspan: 25–27 cm

Distribution and status
This bird breeds in short and mixed grass prairies in central Canada and the north central United States. In winter, they migrate in flocks to prairies and open fields in the southern United States and Mexico. Like other prairie birds, they have disappeared from some areas because of habitat loss but are still fairly common.

Controlled burns may benefit this species as they feed on low-growing plants that are more easily spotted after a fire.

Behavior
These birds forage on the ground, gathering in flocks in winter. They mainly eat seeds, also eating insects in summer. Young birds are mainly fed insects.

The female lays 4 or 5 eggs in a grass cup nest in a shallow scrape on the ground. The male sings and flies up to defend his territory. Both parents feed the young birds.

The call is a two-syllabled chee dee.

Thesis

 * Davis SK. Ph.D. (2003). Habitat selection and demography of mixed-grass prairie songbirds in a fragmented landscape. The University of Regina (Canada), Canada.

Articles
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 * Avise JC, Patton JC & Aquadro CF. (1980). Evolutionary Genetics of Birds 2. Conservative Protein Evolution in North American Sparrows and Relatives. Systematic Zoology. vol 29, no 4. pp. 323–334.
 * Danley RE, Murphy RK & Madden EM. (2004). Species diversity and habitat of grassland passerines during grazing of a prescribe-burned, mixed-grass prairie. Western North American Naturalist. vol 64, no 1. pp. 72–77.
 * Davis SK. (2003). Nesting ecology of mixed-grass prairie songbirds in southern Saskatchewan. Wilson Bulletin. vol 115, no 2. pp. 119–130.
 * Davis SK. (2004). Area sensitivity in grassland passerines: Effects of patch size, patch shape, and vegetation structure on bird abundance and occurrence in southern Saskatchewan. Auk. vol 121, no 4. pp. 1130–1145.
 * Davis SK. (2005). Nest-site selection patterns and the influence of vegetation on nest survival of mixed-grass prairie passerines. Condor. vol 107, no 3. pp. 605–616.
 * Davis SK, Brigham RM, Shaffer TL & James PC. (2006). Mixed-grass prairie passerines exhibit weak and variable responses to patch size. Auk. vol 123, no 3. pp. 807–821.
 * Davis SK, Duncan DC & Skeel M. (1999). Distribution and habitat associations of three endemic grassland songbirds in southern Saskatchewan. Wilson Bulletin. vol 111, no 3. pp. 389–396.
 * Davis SK, Klippenstine DR & Brigham RM. (2002). Does egg rejection account for the low incidence of cowbird parasitism in Chestnut-collared Longspurs (Calcarius ornatus)?. Auk. vol 119, no 2. pp. 556–560.
 * Dieni JS & Jones SL. (2003). Grassland songbird nest site selection patterns in northcentral Montana. Wilson Bulletin. vol 115, no 4. pp. 388–396.
 * Fritcher SC, Rumble MA & Flake LD. (2004). Grassland bird densities in seral stages of mixed-grass prairie. J Range Manage. vol 57, no 4. pp. 351–357.
 * Hatler DF. (1973). Chestnut-Collared Longspur in British-Columbia. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 87, no 1.
 * Hill DP. (1998). An apparent case of between-brood sibling competition in chestnut-collared longspurs, Calcarius ornatus. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 112, no 1. pp. 161–163.
 * Igl LD & Johnson DH. (1997). Changes in breeding bird populations in North Dakota: 1967 to 1992-93. Auk. vol 114, no 1. pp. 74–92.
 * Kantrud HA & Kologiski RL. (1982). Effects of Soils and Grazing on Breeding Birds of Uncultivated Upland Grasslands of the Northern Great Plains USA. U S Fish & Wildlife Service Wildlife Research Report. vol 15, pp. 1–33.
 * Kelly JF, Hawksworth DL & Meyer RA. (2006). Abundance of non-breeding horned larks and chestnut-collared longspurs on grazed and rested semiarid grassland. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 51, no 2. pp. 172–180.
 * Lawson CS. (1974). 1st Nevada Record of Chestnut Collared Longspur. Auk. vol 91, no 2.
 * Lawson CS. (1974). FIRST NEVADA RECORD OF CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR. Auk. vol 91, no 2. pp. 432–432.
 * Lloyd JD & Martin TE. (2004). Nest-site preference and maternal effects on offspring growth. Behavioral Ecology. vol 15, no 5. pp. 816–823.
 * Lloyd JD & Martin TE. (2005). Reproductive success of chestnut-collared longspurs in native and exotic grassland. Condor. vol 107, no 2. pp. 363–374.
 * Lynn SE, Benowitz-Fredericks ZM, Hayward LS & Wingfield JC. (2000). Testosterone influences male behavior during incubation but not during the parental phase in a temperate passerine. American Zoologist. vol 40, no 6. pp. 1111–1112.
 * Lynn SE & Hayward LS. (2003). Apparent depredation of chestnut-collared longspur nestlings by the brown-headed cowbird. Western Birds. vol 34, no 1. pp. 45–48.
 * Lynn SE, Hayward LS, Benowitz-Fredericks ZM & Wingfield JC. (2002). Behavioural insensitivity to supplementary testosterone during the parental phase in the chestnut-collared longspur, Calcarius ornatus. Animal Behaviour. vol 63, no 4. pp. 795–803.
 * Lynn SE, Hunt KE & Wingfield JC. (2003). Ecological factors affecting the adrenocortical response, to stress in chestnut-collared and McCown's longspurs (Calcarius ornatus, Calcarius mccownii). Physiological & Biochemical Zoology. vol 76, no 4. pp. 566–576.
 * Lynn SE, Walker BG & Wingfield JC. (2005). A phylogenetically controlled test of hypotheses for behavioral insensitivity to testosterone in birds. Hormones & Behavior. vol 47, no 2. pp. 170–177.
 * Lynn SE & Wingfield JC. (2003). Male Chestnut-collared Longspurs are essential for nestling survival: A removal study. Condor. vol 105, no 1. pp. 154–158.
 * Lynn SE & Wingfield JC. (2005). Dissociation of testosterone and male-male aggression in breeding Chestnut-collared longspurs, Calcarius ornatus. Integrative & Comparative Biology. vol 45, no 6.
 * Maher WJ. (1979). Nestling Diets of Prairie Passerine Birds at Matador Saskatchewan Canada. Ibis. vol 121, no 4. pp. 437–452.
 * Martin PA & Forsyth DJ. (2003). Occurrence and productivity of songbirds in prairie farmland under conventional versus minimum tillage regimes. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment. vol 96, no 1-3. pp. 107–117.
 * Martin PA, Johnson DL, Forsyth DJ & Hill BD. (1998). Indirect effects of the pyrethroid insecticide deltamethrin on reproductive success of chestnut-collared longspurs. Ecotoxicology. vol 7, no 2. pp. 89–97.
 * Martin PA, Johnson DL, Forsyth DJ & Hill BD. (2000). Effects of two grasshopper control insecticides on food resources and reproductive success of two species of grassland songbirds. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry. vol 19, no 12. pp. 2987–2996.
 * Ogrady DR, Hill DP & Barclay RMR. (1996). Nest visitation by humans does not increase predation on chestnut-collared longspur eggs and young. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 67, no 2. pp. 275–280.
 * Pulliam HR & Mills GS. (1977). The Use of Space by Wintering Sparrows. Ecology. vol 58, no 6. pp. 1393–1399.
 * Spicer GS. (1978). A New Species and Several New Host Records of Avian Nasal Mites Acarina Rhinonyssinae Turbinoptinae. Journal of Parasitology. vol 64, no 5. pp. 891–894.
 * Weir RD, Quilliam H & Norman R. (1972). 1st Record of Chestnut-Collared Longspur in Ontario. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 86, no 4. pp. 382–383.
 * Wiens JA & Rotenberry JT. (1980). Patterns of Morphology and Ecology in Grassland and Shrub Steppe Bird Populations. Ecological Monographs. vol 50, no 3. pp. 287–308.
 * Wyckoff AM. (1983). Male Incubation in a Chestnut-Collared Longspur Calcarius-Ornatus. Wilson Bulletin. vol 95, no 3. pp. 472–472.