Snow Bunting
(Plectrophenax nivalis)

Overview

Summary

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The Snow Bunting is an abundant species that breeds in the arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere and winters throughout Canada and the northern United States. Results from the Christmas Bird Count suggest a moderate decrease in the population relative to 1970. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe
• Canadian Atlas of Bird Banding Maps

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

Currently, there are few known conservation concerns for the Snow Bunting, since both its breeding and wintering habitats are extensive and have few threats (Lyon and Montgomerie 1995). The Canadian Snow Bunting Network is currently investigating winter flock composition and movement, winter/breeding ground connectivity and population dynamics in northern Canada; results from this network may help inform future management issues.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Lyon, B. and R. Montgomerie. 1995. Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Lyon, B. and R. Montgomerie. 1995. Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)