Lapland Bunting Calcarius lapponicus   [Linnaeus, 1758]

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Order: Passeriformes Family: Emberizidae
BTO Codes: LA, LAPBU EURING No: 18470
Number in Britain: 350 birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: Least Concern ( Details )
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Scarce Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: lapponicus recorded in Britain (of 5 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 16 cm Wingspan: 26 cm Weight: M/F: 24 g    
Scientific name from: L.: calcaria=spurs and after Lappland (northern Scandinavia)
World Distribution: BREEDS: N Eurasia, n North America, WINTERS: south to c Europe, c Asia, s US
Habitat: Wet meadows, tundra scrub
Diet: Summer, invertebrates esp. flies (Diptera), otherwise seeds of grass and herbs

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: No population trend available
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Local Atlases)   
British Population Size:
    Winter: 200 to 500 individuals in 1981-84     Note: Best estimate
    First Record: 1826 [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
    First Breeding Record: Grampian Region 1977
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Small Non-breeding Population,
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN     1996-2001 GREEN  
   Races of Concern: lapponicus AMBER (Rare or Localised)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: 800 thousand to 2 million pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(I,IV), Bern(III)
Survey Results:

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 21 x 15 mm Egg Weight: 2.5 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 0
Clutch Size: 5 - 6 eggs
Incubation: 11- 13 days   by the: Female
Fledging: 9 - 10days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Does not breed in Britain, or too few Nest Records
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: 2 (Annual Totals)
Adult Survival: No data
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: Typical Lifespan: No data
Maximum Recorded Age: Too few birds ringed
Summary of Ringing Recoveries       

Biometrics

Ring Size: A (pulli B)*
Wing Length Adult: Insufficient Data
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Weight Adult: Insufficient Data
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data

Other Names

Lapland Longspur
Gaelic: Welsh: Bras y Gogledd
Danish: Lapværling Dutch: IJsgors
Finnish: Lapinsirkku French: Bruant lapon
German: Spornammer Hungarian: Sarkantyús sármány
Icelandic: Sportittlingur Irish: Gealóg Laplannach
Italian: Zigolo di Lapponia Norwegian: Lappspurv
Polish: Poswierka Portuguese: Escrevedeira de Lapónia
Spanish: Escribano lapón Swedish: Lappsparv

For More Information...

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See Also:
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Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead