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McKay's Bunting

McKay's Bunting

Plectrophenax hyperboreus

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About the McKay's Bunting

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. 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.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Plectrophenax hyperboreus
Family
Longspurs and Snow Buntings
Order
Passeriformes

Similar species

Other members of the longspurs and snow buntings family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • Chestnut-collared Longspur Calcarius ornatus
  • Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
  • Smith's Longspur Calcarius pictus
  • Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
  • Thick-billed Longspur Rhynchophanes mccownii

Know when the McKay's Bunting turns up near you

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Gear for spotting McKay's Bunting

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