Nov, 27, 2016 - Snow Buntings

Snow Buntings nest farther north than any other North American land bird. They prefer rocky crevasses above the Arctic Circle. We see them in winter when they migrate to the Midwestern plains. They have recently molted into this colorful non-breeding plumage. I saw several flocks of them when we were in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

BuntingSnowGrandMarais20161031

This Snow Bunting spread its wing and provided a good look at how much white is hidden when the wing is folded. In flight, this appears as a large white patch on the wing.

BuntingSnowGrandMarais20161031

The brown, white, and black pattern of these birds allows them to stay well hidden in the grass among the fallen leaves. This photo was taken at Trout Lake near Bovey, Minnesota. There are 4 Snow Buntings hidden in this photo. Can you find all of them?

BuntingSnowcamoTroutLakeBovey20161021

The Snow Bunting is black and white in breeding plumage. To accomplish this transition, however, they don’t get a new set of feathers. The brown color is just a fringe on the edge of each black or white feather. That is best seen on the wing feathers near the middle of this bird’s back. The brown fringe wears off during the winter. That leaves the back and the rest of the wings completely black except for the white wing patch. The brown also wears off the head, rump, and underside leaving them all white. The bill changes to all black for the breeding season.

BuntingSnowTroutLakeBovey20161021

Snow Buntings usually remain on the ground so I was pleased when this one hopped up on a fence at Trout Lake and posed near some colorful leaves.

BuntingSnowTroutLakeBovey20161021