Family: Emberizidae, New World Sparrows view all from this family

Description 6-7 1/4" (15-18 cm). Sparrow-sized. Breeding male has black back with much white on head, underparts, wings, and tail. Female similar, but duller. Winter birds have brown on crown and upperparts, have duller underparts, but still show much white in wings.

Habitat Arctic tundra. Winters on windswept grasslands and beaches.

Nesting 4-6 white eggs, with red-brown spots in ring around the larger end, placed in a cup of grass lined with fur and feathers and concealed among rocks or in tundra vegetation.

Range Breeds from Aleutians, northern Alaska and Arctic islands south to northern Quebec. Winters regularly across southern Canada and upper tier of states to Oregon and Pennsylvania. Also in Eurasia.

Voice   Clear whistle or soft buzzy note. Song a sweet warble.

Discussion This circumpolar bird, often called the "Snowflake," breeds further north than almost any other land bird. In severe winters large flocks descend to our northern states, where they favor the most barren places. They occasionally can be found at beach parking lots in the dead of winter searching for weed seeds.