McCOWN'S LONGSPUR 1591 



feathers, erects the upper tail coverts and feathers of the lower back, and bursting 

 into song, tloats downward into the grass like an animated parachute, singing all 

 the way. 



Iii Teton Comity, Montana, DuBois (1937b) also noted the para- 

 chute-like descent as well as "the usual song," which he says, 

 is a variety of warbles, clear and sweet. It is a joyous song. In the height of 

 the nesting season it ripples through the air from many directions. It is usually 

 delivered in course of a special flight. 



The song-flight is a charming feat of grace. The male bird flies from the 

 ground, in gradual ascent, to a height of perhaps six or eight yards, then spreads 

 his white-lined wings, stretching them outward and upward, and floats slowly 

 down to earth like a fairy parachute made bouyant with music. He continues 

 to pour forth his song all the way down into the grass, and seems to swell with 

 the rapture of his performance. Sometimes the descent is perfectly vertical. 

 The song is delivered both while fluttering the wings and while making the para- 

 chute descent. The birds let their legs hang down beneath them while in flight. 

 The floating descent was unique in my experience with birds, for though the 

 Chestnut-collared Longspur also has a songflight, it lacks the parachute descent. 



In two records DuBois (1923, 1937a) describes a characteristic 

 feature of the song: "Occasionall} 7 , while the bird is in the air, he 

 utters a trio of staccato notes, each of decidedly different pitch, and 

 separated by equal time intervals. The three notes are louder than 

 the usual song; they are so short and clear, and have so pronounced 

 a pause between them that the effect is very striking." 



In the Prairie Provinces of Canada Raine (1892) seems to be the 

 first to mention the song of this longspur. In June of 1891 near a 

 slough north of Moose Jaw, he found the song "very cheering * * * 

 the male always sings as he descends to the ground with outstretched, 

 motionless wings." Mr. Bent (1908), investigating the prairies in the 

 vicinity of Maple Creek in southwestern Saskatchewan in 1905-06, 

 considered McCown's song similar to the chestnut-collared longspur's 

 "but somewhat louder and richer". The male "rises slowly and 

 silently to a height of 10 or 15 feet and then floats downward, on 

 outstretched wings and widespread tail, pouring out a most delightful, 

 rich, warbling, bubbling song." But Harrold (1933), while mention- 

 ing the "remarkable butterfly-like flight", says that the song "consists 

 of only a few notes one of them having a peculiar squeaky sound 

 quite unlike that of any other bird in tune." 



Olin S. Pettingill, Jr., (Sibley and Pettingill, 1955) describes the me- 

 chanics of the flight, comparing it with the chestnut-collared long- 

 spur's : 



The flight songs of typical McCown's and Chestnut-collared longspurs differ 

 in movements and in song pattern. Both species fly gradually upward, their 

 wings beating rapidly. From the peak of the ascent McCown's proceeds to 

 sail downward abruptly with wings held stiffly outstretched and raised high above 

 the back. The Chestnut-collared, after reaching the peak of the ascent, prolongs 

 the flight by circling and undulating, finally descending with the wings beating 



