The Calcariidae -commonly known as longspurs or snow buntings- are a small family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of passerine

Passerine

A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...

 bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s. There are 3 genera and 6 species worldwide.

Taxonomy

DNA studies confirmed the species of this family form a clade separated from the Emberizidae

Emberizidae

The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...

. Alström et al. (2008) proposed to place them in the tribe Calcariini, but the International Ornithological Congress

International Ornithological Congress

The International Ornithological Congress series forms the oldest and largest international series of meetings of ornithologists. It is organised by the International Ornithological Committee, a group of about 200 ornithologists...

 has placed them in a separate family in 2010.

Genera and Species

• Calcarius

Calcarius lapponicus

Calcarius pictus

Calcarius ornatus

• Plectrophenax
  Plectrophenax
  Plectrophenax is a small genus of passerine birds of the longspur family Calcariidae.It has two members, which may be conspecific.* Snow Bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis* McKay's Bunting, Plectrophenax hyperboreus...
  
  

Plectrophenax nivalis

Plectrophenax hyperboreus

• Rhynchophanes

Rhynchophanes mccownii