CDC Logo

BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary


Rhynchophanes mccownii
Thick-billed Longspur

 
Scientific Name: Rhynchophanes mccownii (Lawrence, 1851)
Scientific Name Synonyms: Calcarius mccownii
English Name: Thick-billed Longspur
English Name Synonyms: McCown's Longspur
 
Classification / Taxonomy
Scientific Name - Concept Reference: American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Classification Level: Species
Taxonomy Comments: April 11, 2013 - Changed from Calcarius mccownii to Rhynchophanes mcconii as per the 51st Supplement to the AOU Update (DDW).
Species Group: Vertebrate Animal
Species Code: B-MCLO
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Craniata Aves Passeriformes Calcariidae
   
Conservation Status / Legal Designation
Global Status: G4 (Apr 2016)
Provincial Status: SNA (Apr 2024)
BC List: Accidental
Provincial FRPA list:   
Provincial Wildlife Act:
COSEWIC Status: Threatened (Apr 2016)
SARA Schedule: 1  -  Threatened (Dec 2007)
SARA Comments: Accidental in BC
General Status Canada: 4 - Secure (2005)
Migratory Bird Convention Act: Y
   
Ecology & Life History
General Description:
Global Reproduction Comments: The breeding season extends approximately from mid-March through mid-October (Mickey 1943, Giezentanner and Ryder 1969, Felske 1971, Creighton 1974, Salt and Salt 1976, With 1994a), but may remain on the breeding grounds as late as mid-November in some locations (Johnsgard 1980). The female incubates three to four, sometimes up to six, eggs for 12 days. In northeastern Colorado, usual clutch size was three (With 1994a). Nestlings are altricial. Young are tended by both adults, leave nest in 10 days, and fly 12 days after hatching (Terres 1980). Second broods were reported in northcentral Colorado and in Montana (DuBois 1935, Strong 1971). Second broods may be initiated as soon as three weeks after fledging of the initial brood, but may be limited by female energy reserves (Felske 1971, With 1994a).
Global Ecology Comments: Area requirements vary by region. Reported territory sizes were 0.6 hectares in southeastern Wyoming (Greer and Anderson 1989), 0.5-1.0 hectares in Saskatchewan (Felske 1971), and 1-1.5 hectares in central Colorado (Wiens 1970, 1971; With 1994a). Pairs often nest near each other (Mickey 1943, Felske 1971). In winter may be seen with flocks of horned larks.
Migration Characteristics:
(Global / Provincial)		 
    Nonmigrant:
    Local Migrant:
    Distant Migrant:
    Within Borders Migrant: 		N /
N /
Y /
na /
Global Migration Comments: Flocks migrate from winter range in Texas in March-early April, from Arizona late February-early May. Reaches nesting areas in April, early to mid-April in Wyoming (Greer and Anderson 1989), mid- to late April in Montana. In winter may be seen with flocks of horned larks.
Habitats:
(Type / Subtype / Dependence)
Global Habitat Comments: Sparse short-grass plains, plowed and stubble fields, and areas of bare or nearly bare ground (AOU 1983). Use grasslands with little litter (Felske 1971) and low vegetation cover (DuBois 1935, Creighton 1974), such as that provided by shortgrass or heavily grazed mixed-grass prairie (Saunders 1914; Finzel 1964; Wiens 1970; Maher 1973, 1974; Creighton 1974; Oberholser 1974; Porter and Ryder 1974; Stewart 1975; With 1994a; Prescott and Wagner 1996). Cultivated lands also may be utilized, including small-grain stubble fields, minimum- and conventional-tilled land, and summer fallow fields (Felske 1971, Stewart 1975, Martin in prep.), although, historically, agricultural lands were avoided (DuBois 1935, Mickey 1943). Early-season abundance of nesting birds in cropland fields in southcentral Alberta showed a positive correlation with percent bare ground, and productivity appeared to be negatively correlated with the vertical density of forbs (Martin in prep.). Often breed on high, barren hillsides with southern exposures (Giezentanner 1970a,b; Felske 1971; Creighton 1974). Blue grama (BOUTELOUA GRACILIS) and buffalo grass (BUCHLOE DACTYLOIDES) are dominant plants in nesting areas (DuBois 1935, Cassel 1952, Creighton 1974).

Nests usually in a scrape on the ground at the base of a bush or clump of grass, or beside cattle dung. Nests beside shrubs may be subject to heavy predation by ground squirrels (With 1994a). Nests tend to be oriented to the north (With and Webb 1993), and about one-third to one-half of nests are placed near clumps of grass, shrubs, plains prickly pear (OPUNTIA POLYACANTHA), or cowpies (DuBois 1935, Mickey 1943, With 1994b). However, shrubs and prickly pear near the nest may facilitate depredation by providing protective cover to predators. In northcentral Colorado, for example, 75-80 percent of nests placed near shrubs or prickly pear were depredated (With 1994b). Nests depredated during incubation had six times more shrub cover within 1 meter of the nest than did successful nests.

In northcentral Colorado, nests were exposed completely to solar radiation at midday and had 45 percent total exposure per day (With and Webb 1993). High exposure to solar radiation may ameliorate cold stresses associated with an early breeding season. Nests constructed later in the season were more likely to be constructed near vegetative cover than those constructed earlier in the season (With and Webb 1993). In southeastern Wyoming, percent vegetation coverage within 5 centimeters of the ground was higher in occupied territories than in unoccupied territories (Greer and Anderson 1989). Occupied territories also had fewer cowpies, less lichen, and lower forb coverage than unoccupied areas.
Food Habits: Granivore: Adult, Immature
Invertivore: Adult, Immature
Global Food Habits Comments: Forages on the ground for seeds and insects. Primarily insectivorous in breeding season; diet consists mainly of orthopterans and beetles.
Global Phenology: Diurnal: Adult, Immature
Provincial Phenology:
(1st half of month/
2nd half of month)
Colonial Breeder: N
Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): 15/ / 23
Elevation (m) (min / max): Global: 
Provincial: 
   
 
Distribution
Endemic: N
Global Range Comment: BREEDING: southeastern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, northern North Dakota and (previously) southwestern Minnesota, south through Montana to southeastern Wyoming, northeastern Colorado, Oklahoma, northwestern Nebraska, and Manitoba (With 1994a, AOU 1998). NON-BREEDING: primarily from western Oklahoma, western Kansas, southeastern Arizona, and central New Mexico south through Sonora and Chihuahua to northern Durango (With 1994a, AOU 1998). Rarely in Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and ne and coastal California (With 1994a).
 
Authors / Contributors
Global Information Author: HAMMERSON, G.
Last Updated: Jan 18, 1995
Provincial Information Author:
Last Updated:
   
References and Related Literature
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I.McT.-Cowan, J.M. Cooper, G. Kaiser, A.C. Stewart, and M.C.E. McNall. 2001. The Birds of British Columbia, Vol. 4, Passerines: Wood-Warblers through Old World Sparrows. UBC Press, in cooperation with Environ. Can., Can. Wildl. Serv., and B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Wildl. Branch and Resour. Inventory Branch, and Royal B.C. Mus. 744pp.
Carter, M., C. Hunter, D. Pashley, and D. Petit. 1998. The Watch List. Bird Conservation, Summer 1998:10.
Carter, M., G. Fenwick, C. Hunter, D. Pashley, D. Petit, J. Price, and J. Trapp. 1996. Watchlist 1996: For the future. Field Notes 50(3):238-240.
Godfrey, W.E. 1966. The birds of Canada. National Museums of Canada. Ottawa. 428 pp.
Greer, R. D., and S. H. Anderson. 1989. Relationships between population demography of McCown's longspurs and habitat resources. Condor 91:609-619.
Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
National Geographic Society (NGS). 1983. Field guide to the birds of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington, DC.
Oberholser, H.C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. 2 vols. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.
Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
With, K. A. 1994a. The hazards of nesting near shrubs for a grassland bird, the McCown's longspur. Condor 96:1009-1019.
 

Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.

Suggested Citation:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1995. Species Summary: Rhynchophanes mccownii. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 7, 2026).