Bird Album
McKay's Bunting
Plectrophenax hyperboreus Ridgway, 1884
18 cmLength54 gWeight
McKay's bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae.
Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada
McKay's Bunting has been recorded at 4 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- GambellUnited States387 records
- St. Paul IslandUnited States280 records
- Iona IslandCanada15 records
More places
- Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal JettyCanada8 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
McKay's bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae. It is most closely related to the snow bunting (P. nivalis). Hybrids between the two species have been observed, leading some authorities to treat McKay's as a subspecies of the snow bunting.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the McKay's Bunting?
The McKay's Bunting is about 18 cm long and weighs around 54 g.
Where does the McKay's Bunting live?
Its breeding range: North America: western Alaska. It is most often recorded in United States and Canada.
When is the best time to see the McKay's Bunting?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the McKay's Bunting endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the McKay's Bunting as Least Concern.
What does the McKay's Bunting eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the McKay's Bunting in?
It belongs to the family Longspurs, Snow Buntings (Calcariidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 18 cm
- Weight
- 54 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 110 mm
- Tail
- 80 mm
- Bill
- 14 mm
- Tarsus
- 21 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America: western Alaska
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Longspurs, Snow Buntings Calcariidae
- Genus
- Plectrophenax
Other birds in the genus Plectrophenax
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
Thick-billed LongspurRhynchophanes mccownii
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
Smith's LongspurCalcarius pictus
Chestnut-collared LongspurCalcarius ornatus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Yinan Li. ↗
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