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Tucson Audubon Society
Dastardly Duos
McCown's & Chestnut-collared Longspurs
by Larry Liese
Illustrations by George C. West
(Article first appeared in the November, 2002, Vermilion Flycatcher
newsletter. To receive the newsletter in the mail, become a member of the Friends
of Tucson Audubon.)
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Remember first hearing the phrase "little brown jobs"? Well, this month’s birds have it all over any other LBJs you might be thinking of. We’ll be attempting to learn how to distinguish both male and female winter plumaged longspurs. Not only are they small, brown, and lacking in bright, easy to see field marks, but they stick to wide-open areas where approach is difficult. Views are usually of a swirling flock that gyrates through the air too quickly to see well, only to collapse to the ground and seemingly disappear! Patience will be required, and you may find yourself returning your gaze to the spotting scope eyepiece for yet another try after repeating to yourself "Well, I’m not sure."
To keep it manageable, we’ll stick to the two most likely species for here in southeastern Arizona. From November into March, the common Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus), and its uncommon and local congener McCown’s Longspur (Calcarius mccownii) winter in dry grasslands, fallow fields and agricultural areas. Areas to look for them are in the San Rafael Grasslands, the grasslands near Sonoita, and in the Sulphur Springs Valley, with the agricultural areas north of Elfrida the best area to find the McCown’s. The McCown’s is said to prefer shorter grass and more open ground. I’ve usually seen the Chestnut-collared where the grass is taller, though it is the much more widespread bird. Both associate with Horned Larks, so be on the lookout for them as well. Longspurs sometimes can be found taking drinks on lake/puddle margins such as at the Wilcox ponds.
Named for the long, slender claw of their hind toe, longspurs are colorful birds of the northern prairies famous for their beautiful flight displays. Not so for us. Winter plumages are indistinct, though there are field marks that one can use to separate all four variations.
The first clue that you might be seeing longspurs will be the sheer size of the flock (sometimes numbering in the hundreds), their small size and their overall light brown color. Though both are said to give a dry rattle, the repeated kidd-le or til-lip flight-call of the Chestnut-collared is distinctive and easy to learn. The McCown’s call notes are a whit and a hard prit-tup. McCown’s are paler overall, though you’ll need practice to be confident using this to distinguish them.
Though they do seem to disappear upon landing, the visual field marks are not generally seen in flight and that is when you’ll have a chance to study them. McCown’s have large pinkish bills and longer wings that reach much further towards their tail tip. The Chestnut-collared has a small gray bill and much shorter wings that barely extend past its rump, leaving plenty of tail exposed. Males of both species can retain traces of their breeding colors. Look for some chestnut on the nape and an often hidden white shoulder patch indicating a male Chestnut-collared Longspur. Some male McCown’s Longspurs will have rusty median wing coverts. Some will show a gray rump. Both males show some black smudges on the breast. It will pay to scan around looking for the brighter-marked individuals.
Female longspurs are pretty drab; true LBJs! The female McCown’s is best told by bill and wing differences as described above, plus they have a broad pale supercilium and general lack of streaking below that is reminiscent of a female House Sparrow, though none of these longspurs hop about as those do. Female Chestnut-collared’s have blurry streaks below and are smaller and less chunky looking.
Then there’s the tail pattern. This often-mentioned field mark is very distinctive, yet very hard to get a glimpse of. As the birds land, they often fan their tail feathers to help brake their descent, allowing a quick view of the tail pattern. It happens fast! Both have much white in their tails, with the central rectrices and tail tips black. The black in the McCown’s forms an inverted "T" pattern, while the Chestnut-collared forms a triangular wedge at the tip. Take a look at Kenn Kaufman’s new photographic field guide. You’ll see that the difference isn’t all that easy to clearly see.
Since you’ll probably be hitting the Sulphur Springs Valley a couple of times this winter to take in the flocks of Sandhill Cranes and the wealth of raptors, why not tackle these and try to distinguish all four? If you can, you can really start looking at yourself as a better birder. Good luck!
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This page was updated on 02/21/06