McKay's Bunting

McKay's Bunting

Plectrophenax hyperboreus

Least Concern

Aves · Passeriformes · Calcariidae

About

McKay's bunting is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae. It is most closely related to the snow bunting. Hybrids between the two species have been observed, leading some authorities to treat McKay's as a subspecies of the snow bunting. As the Plectrophenax buntings are nested within the Calcarius clade, their closest relatives are the longspurs. McKay's bunting breeds on two islands in the Bering Sea, St. Matthew and Hall islands, and winters on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska.

Fun Fact

It is most closely related to the snow bunting (P.

Quick Facts

Habitat

To be updated

Diet

Diet of seeds, buds, and insects.

Lifespan

To be updated

Threats

  • Habitat Change
  • Human Disturbance