284 
Field Marks. Adult male: a small Sparrow with creamy throat, black breast, and 
underparts. Females: best distinguished in life by association with male, but separated 
from Vesper Sparrow, which may be similar in general colour effect, by much more white 
on sides of tail, two and a half or more feathers white, instead of little more than one, the 
area of white increasing towards the base of tail (Figure 263), instead of an even border; 
from McCown’s Longspur by having less white in tail, all the tail of the latter, except a 
terminal band and centre feathers, being white (Compare with Figure 264). The Chest- 
nut-collared, in common with McCown’s, has a very pretty flight-song that is given when 
the wings are extended high over the back, as it slowly drops from a height. 
Nesting. On the ground on the open prairie; nest of grasses and rootlets. 
Distribution. Great Plains region of North America. In Canada, all of the prairie 
section. A casual straggler in British Columbia. 
In many parts of the prairies, especially the more arid sections, one of the 
commonest and most characteristic birds. In the bright spring and early 
summer days, its beautiful twittering flight song, repeated on every hand by 
many rival birds, gives a delightful air of gladness to the awakening prairies, 
539. McCown’s Longspur. Rhynchophanes mccowni, L, 6-0. Spring male: streaked 
in ashy ochre and brown above, and a black cap; underparts, throat, and face, white with 
a black streak from comer of bill, and a black crescentic gorget across breast. White of 
throat extending around back of neck in a grey collar, and ear-coverts ashy grey (Figure 
265). Lesser wing-coverts chestnut. Female generally ashy-grey, softly streaked with 
brown above, and nearly even white below; slightly ashy across breast. Juvenile very much 
like that of Chestnut-collared Longspur, but larger and more white in tad. All the feathers 
of the tail, except middle ones, white, tipped with dark (Figure 264, compare with 263). 
Figure 264 
Tail of McCown’s Long- 
spur; scale, §. 
Figure 265 
McCown’s Longspur; 
scale, |. 
Distinctions. The spring male, with its black cap and white face, and throat bordered 
by black crescentic gorget, is unmistakable. The female and juveniles are very much 
like those of the Chestnut-collared Longspur, but more ashy in general coloration and 
with much more white in the tail. Size is a good distinction from that species (wing over 
3*25). The back is not as strongly streaked as in the Lapland Longspur, and there is no 
dark spot about the ear-covert tips as in the Lapland and Smith’s. 
Field Marks. As a summer resident in southern Canada, usually requiring separation 
only from the Chestnut-collared Longspur. Adult male: black-crowned, white-throated, 
with light face and crescent-shaped black gorget across breast. Females are best distin- 
guished in life by association with male, but separated from the Vesper Sparrow, which may 
have similar general colour effect, and the Chestnut-collared Longspur, by the large amount 
of white in tail (Figure 264, compare with 263 and 266), all the tail, except the middle 
feathers and a terminal bar, being white. 
In common with the Chestnut-collared Longspur, the male has a charming flight-song 
that is given while slowly dropping from a height, witn wings extended high over the back. 
Distribution. The Great Plains region of North America. In Canada, regularly only 
in the dryer parts of the prairies of Saskatchewan and Alberta. It is irregular and 
local in distribution, but has been taken at Chilliwack, British Columbia. 
Very much the same habits and disposition as the preceding species. 
