1628 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 ™it 3 



CALCARIUS PIGTUS (Swainson) 



Smith's Longspur 



FRONTISPIECE 



Contributed by Emerson Kemsies 

 Harits 



This obscure species well deserves Ira N. Gabrielson and Frederick 

 C. Lincoln's (1959) characterization of it as "one of the least known 

 of North American birds.' ' In many ways a bird of mystery, it is 

 nowhere plentiful, and its elusiveness makes it hard to find in the field, 

 even where it is known to be present. Hence the dearth of information 

 in the literature about its habits is not surprising. This account 

 combines the available material on all three subspecies, whose re- 

 spective ranges are detailed in the distribution section. 



William Swainson described the species in 1831 as Emberiza picta, 

 meaning "painted buntling," from a specimen Sir John Richardson's 

 exploring party collected in Saskatchewan. Some 13 years later 

 J. J. Audubon gave it its common name in honor of his friend Gideon 

 B. Smith of Baltimore, when he described as new, specimens he 

 obtained in southwestern Illinois. 



South of their northern breeding grounds, Smith's longspurs are 

 encountered only in open, grassy fields and pastures. Of recent years 

 airports have offered them suitable wintering habitat where they are 

 frequently reported. Nowhere, however, are they easy to observe. 

 W. Rowan of Edmonton, Alberta, commented on their evasiveness 

 thusly in a letter to Mr. Bent: "Like the Lapland longspur the flock 

 indulged in elaborate aerial evolutions, though not nearly so spectacu- 

 lar, which they continued over their favorite field for a great while 

 until they either settled down or disappeared altogether. They always 

 settled with great abruptness and without any warning that we could 

 note. Once in the stubble, although it happened to be very thin 

 after last year's drought, they were impossible to see, even when 

 right amongst them." 



Spring. — P. A. Taverner (1926) calls the species 



"Only a migrant in cultivated Canada, passing th[r]ough quickly 

 in spring * * *. Not nearly so common nor so generally distributed 

 as the Lapland Longspur, but appearing in flocks of considerable 

 size when it does occur." Edward A. Preble (1908) describes their 

 migrating past Fort Simpson, Mackenzie, in May. "When disturbed, 

 the birds flew in a loose flock, not nearly so fast as the Lapland 

 longspurs, and usually only a short distance. When feeding they 

 were very difficult to detect. Their characteristic note was heard only 

 a few times." 



