McKay's Bunting
Encyclopedia
McKay's Bunting is a passerine
bird
in the longspur
family Calcariidae
. It is most closely related to the Snow Bunting
(P. nivalis). Hybrids between the two species have been observed, leading some authorities to treat McKay's as a subspecies of Snow Bunting. As the Plectrophenax
buntings are nested within the Calcarius clade
, their closest relatives are the longspur
s.
The species breeds on two islands in the Bering Sea
, St. Matthew and Hall islands, and winters on the western coast of the U.S. state
of Alaska
.
The population of this species is estimated at less than 6,000 individuals. Although under no immediate threat, it is susceptible to devastation by any introduced rat
s, weasel
s or fox
es, as well as rising sea levels due to climate change
.
The name of this bird honours the American naturalist Charles McKay
.
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...
in the longspur
Longspur
The Longspurs, genus Calcarius, are a group of birds in the family Calcariidae. The name refers to the long claw on the hind toe of each foot. The genus formerly included the McCown's Longspur, Rhyncophanes mccownii, which is now placed in a separate genus.These are chunky ground-feeding birds with...
family Calcariidae
Calcariidae
The Calcariidae -commonly known as longspurs or snow buntings- are a small family of passerine birds. There are 3 genera and 6 species worldwide.- Taxonomy :...
. It is most closely related to the Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting
The Snow Bunting , sometimes colloquially called a snowflake, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae. It is an arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere...
(P. nivalis). Hybrids between the two species have been observed, leading some authorities to treat McKay's as a subspecies of Snow Bunting. As the 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...
buntings are nested within the Calcarius clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
, their closest relatives are the longspur
Longspur
The Longspurs, genus Calcarius, are a group of birds in the family Calcariidae. The name refers to the long claw on the hind toe of each foot. The genus formerly included the McCown's Longspur, Rhyncophanes mccownii, which is now placed in a separate genus.These are chunky ground-feeding birds with...
s.
The species breeds on two islands in the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
, St. Matthew and Hall islands, and winters on the western coast of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
The population of this species is estimated at less than 6,000 individuals. Although under no immediate threat, it is susceptible to devastation by any introduced rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
s or fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, as well as rising sea levels due to climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
The name of this bird honours the American naturalist Charles McKay
Charles McKay
Charles Leslie McKay was an American naturalist and explorer.McKay was born at Appleton, Wisconsin. He studied under David Starr Jordan at Appleton Collegiate Institute, Butler University and Indiana University, where he graduated as a Bachelor of Science...
.
Book
- Lyon, B., and R. Montgomerie. 1995. Snow Bunting and McKay’s Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis and Plectrophenax hyperboreus). In The Birds of North America, No. 198–199. (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.
Articles
- Maley JM. (2004). A molecular study of Arctic adaptation and evolution in North America's highest latitude endemic passerine: the McKay's Bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus). Arctic Science Conference Abstracts. 55th Arctic Science Conference, Anchorage, AK, USA; September 29-October 1, 2004.
- Johnson JA, Matsuoka SM, Ruthrauff DR, Litzow MA & Dementyev MN. (2004). Additions to the avifauna of St. Matthew Island, Bering Sea. Western Birds. vol 35, no 1. p. 50-52.
- Lyon B & Montgomerie R. (1995). Snow Bunting and McKay's Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis and Plectrophenax hyperboreus). Birds of North America. vol 0, no 198-199. p. 1-28.
- Rogers, J. 2005. Identifying McKay’s Bunting. Birding 37 (6):618-626.
- Sealy SG. (1969). Apparent Hybridization between Snow Bunting and Mckays Bunting on St-Lawrence Island Alaska USA. Auk. vol 86, no 2. p. 350-351.
- Sealy SG. (1972). Additional Winter Records of the Mckays Bunting. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 86, no 4. p. 386-388.
- Winker K, Gibson DD, Sowls AL, Lawhead BE, Martin PD, Hoberg EP & Causey D. (2002). The birds of St. Matthew Island, Bering Sea. Wilson Bulletin. vol 114, no 4. p. 491-509.