McKay’s Bunting
Plectrophenax hyperboreus
LCLeast Concern
- Family
- Longspurs and Snow Buntings (Calcariidae)
- Order
- Passeriformes
Overview
McKay's bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae. It is most closely related to the snow bunting (P. nivalis). Hybrids between the two species have been observed, leading some authorities to treat McKay's as a subspecies of the snow bunting. As the Plectrophenax buntings are nested within the Calcarius clade, their closest relatives are the longspurs.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds islands in Bering Sea; winters to coastal Alaska and Aleutian Islands.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Countries
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: McKay's bunting
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
