Thick-billed Longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii)
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Thick-billed Longspur

Rhynchophanes mccownii (Lawrence, 1851)

26 gWeight

The thick-billed longspur, also known as McCown's longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii), is a small ground-feeding bird in the family Calcariidae, which also contains the other longspurs and snow buntings.

Busiest months: November · Most records: United States, Canada

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Thick-billed Longspur has been recorded at 28 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Glendale Recharge PondsUnited States55 records
  2. Willcox – Lake Cochise and Twin Lakes Golf CourseUnited States43 records
  3. San Diego River mudflatsUnited States22 records
More places
  1. Lagerman Agricultural Preserve – Lagerman ReservoirUnited States16 records
  2. Stanley ParkCanada13 records
  3. Hayward Regional ShorelineUnited States13 records
  4. San Jacinto Wildlife AreaUnited States11 records
  5. Cherry Creek SPUnited States10 records
  6. Bosque del Apache NWRUnited States10 records
  7. Hagerman NWRUnited States10 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United StatesCanada

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

The thick-billed longspur, also known as McCown's longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii), is a small ground-feeding bird in the family Calcariidae, which also contains the other longspurs and snow buntings. It is found in North America and is the only species in the genus Rhynchophanes.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Thick-billed Longspur?

The Thick-billed Longspur weighs around 26 g.

Where does the Thick-billed Longspur live?

Its breeding range: North America: south-central Canada and north-central USA. It is most often recorded in United States and Canada.

When is the best time to see the Thick-billed Longspur?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Thick-billed Longspur endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Thick-billed Longspur as Least Concern.

What does the Thick-billed Longspur eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Thick-billed Longspur in?

It belongs to the family Longspurs, Snow Buntings (Calcariidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
26 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
90 mm
Tail
57 mm
Bill
14 mm
Tarsus
19 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America: south-central Canada and north-central USA

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Longspurs, Snow Buntings Calcariidae
Genus
Rhynchophanes

More from the family Longspurs, Snow Buntings

Lapland LongspurLapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusSmith's LongspurSmith's LongspurCalcarius pictusChestnut-collared LongspurChestnut-collared LongspurCalcarius ornatusSnow BuntingSnow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisMcKay's BuntingMcKay's BuntingPlectrophenax hyperboreus
Thick-billed Longspur

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Judd Patterson. ↗

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