McKay's Bunting

Plectrophenax hyperboreus Ridgway, 1884

Calcariidae — Longspurs, Snow Buntings

McKay's Bunting is a passerine of the Calcariidae family that breeds in western Alaska. It is a close relative of the Snow Bunting, and the two can produce hybrids. Some authorities have therefore treated it as a form of Snow Bunting. It nests on shingle beaches, using hollow drift logs and rock crevices. In winter it occurs on the western coast of Alaska. It is very similar to Snow Bunting, but is paler overall, with breeding males almost entirely white apart from small black areas on the wingtips and tail.

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Calcariidae — Longspurs, Snow Buntings
Breeding range: North America: w Alaska