What are those little birds that flutter up in large flocks from the Gunflint Trail on a fall day?
As the days get colder and snow covers the ground, many birds of the Gunflint Trail, like loons and warblers, fly south to warmer regions. Others, like chickadees and blue jays, stick around all winter.
And then there are the hardy birds that come to Minnesota from even colder climates. The snow bunting’s breeding ground stretches across the Arctic tundra, but in the late fall and early winter, we’re lucky enough to see them “down south” at Bearskin Lodge.
What Does a Snow Bunting Look Like?
Snow Buntings are medium-sized songbirds about 6 inches long. If you see a flock of snow buntings in flight, you’re likely to notice their white undersides and white wings with black tips. On the ground, much of the white is hidden, and you’ll see the brown and black markings on their backs and heads. The females and males look similar at this time of year, although the females tend to be a bit more brown.
If you were to visit the buntings in northern Canada or Greenland, they would look different. During the breeding season, males are mostly white with black streaks on their back. They achieve this bright white color not by molting, but by rubbing their bodies in the snow until the brown feather tips wear off.
Breeding females also become whitish, but with a grayer hue and brown backs. Both males and females change the color of their beaks for breeding season—they’re yellow in the winter and darker in the summer.
Snow buntings can make a variety of sounds. A few examples of what you might hear from a “winter flock” are available on the Audubon Society snow bunting page.
When Can You See a Snow Bunting at Bearskin?
The first snow buntings start appearing on the Gunflint Trail in late October or early November, migrating in flocks ranging from a few dozen birds to hundreds. They often travel together with similar birds like horned larks and longspurs.
You’re likely to see groups of these birds along the side of the road. Take care—they have the unfortunate habit of fluttering up in front of cars.
The buntings don’t mind the cold and they can access food as long as the snow cover is light, so they’ll stick around until we get more serious snow. Then they head farther south. We’ll see them again in the spring on their way back to the tundra.
The Life of a Snow Bunting
In the winter, snow buntings mostly eat seeds. In the spring and summer, they also enjoy insects, buds, and leaves. In some coastal areas, they even eat small crustaceans.
As much as we would like to see these pretty songbirds year-round in Minnesota, snow buntings actually can’t breed this far south. Up near the arctic circle, they have light for most or all of the day, which is necessary for them to enter a reproductive state.
Males migrate back to the tundra 3-6 weeks before females. At that point, the ground is still covered in snow and temperatures can be as low as -30° F, but the male buntings can’t wait any longer or they might not secure a nesting site. Competition is tough for spots in protected cavities, including large cracks in rocks or holes in the ground. Advertising a nesting site is key to snow bunting courtship behavior—when the females arrive, they’ll be looking for a male with a nice rocky crevice to offer.
Once she’s found a mate with desirable real estate, the female builds a nest out of grass, lichen, moss, and roots and lays 3-9 eggs. The nesting spots tend to be safe but cold, so the female can’t leave her eggs often. The male brings her food around every 15 minutes. When the young are born, both parents bring them insects to eat.
Snow bunting young leave the nest about 10-17 days after hatching. Their parents will continue to feed them for a week or two after that.
Are Snow Buntings Endangered?
The good news is that snow buntings are widespread and their conservation status is “least concern.” However, the population is decreasing, and as with other arctic animals, global warming is a threat to their habitat. Warmer temperatures may trigger the buntings to breed too early, before the food supply is adequate for their broods. Global warming could also bring new species to the snow buntings’ habitat that will compete with them for resources.
See Snow Buntings at Bearskin
The snow buntings are already arriving on the Gunflint Trail and we expect to see them for several weeks to come. Visit Bearskin Lodge to see the snow buntings on their journey south.
