Snow Bunting

Plectrophenax nivalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

		breeding male winter male female juvenile
2015-07-15 Yamal 2016-02-28 Krasnoyarsky Kray. Emelyanovsky raion. Shuvaevo.2016-01-23 Kaskara, Tumensky raion, Tumenskaya oblast.2018-08-07 Yamal Yamal-Nenets autonomous region	© Sergey Volkov © Igor Latysh© Luiza Mardonova© Alexander Yakovlev

Description

The male Snow Bunting in summer have black mantle, shoulders, primaries and three central pairs of tail feathers; the rest parts are all white. After autumn molting the head and the claw-band are plain-rusty. Upperparts are rusty with dark shaft-streaks, underparts and wing speculum are white. In spring rusty tone in color is lack, the head and underparts are white. Upperparts are spotted, formed by dark centers and white edges of webs of feathers. Bill is black in summer, but yellow black-tipped in winter. Legs are black, eyes are brownish. Female in summer plumage is greyish-black white mottled above. The head and underparts are white. In autumn-whiter female is similar on male. Bill is blackish in summer; in winter as on male. Size. Males: wing 95-102, tail 64-69, tarsus 21,0-21,8, bill 10,0-10,2 mm. Females: wing 95-103, tail 58-65, tarsus 20,2-21,8, bill 9,8-10,5 mm. Weight: 31,7-38,0 gr.

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Сибири". Москва-Екатеринбург, Изд-во "Кабинетный ученый", 2014.