WatchList Species Account for Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus)

Qualifies for the list as a Declining Yellow List Species

Photo: Bill Schmoker

Breeding primarily in the short- and mixed-grass prairies of the Great Plains and Prairie Provinces of Canada and foraging primarily on the ground, where it feeds largely on seeds and invertebrates, the Chestnut-collared Longspur was adapted to grassland recently grazed by bison or disturbed by fire. This has translated into its preferences for breeding habitat today — pastures and mowed areas such as airstrips, and native prairie habitats that are grazed or have been recently burned. It prefers dry areas with vegetation 8 to 12 inches in height. It avoids excessively shrubby areas and grasslands with dense litter accumulation. Cowbirds do not have a major effect on breeding success of the species. The bird has declined considerably with the disappearance of native prairie and is now gone from many areas where it was once abundant. Nesting in loose colonies, in winter it moves south in flocks to the dry grasslands, deserts and plateaus of the south-central and southwestern U.S. and northern through central Mexico but also uses cultivated fields. Its winter range in the U.S. is thought to have contracted, accounted for by its great decrease in population size. The key to restoring this species is to provide it with unplowed, uncultivated prairie.