Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalis
Silhouette: Lauren McLean · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyCalcariidae (Longspurs and Snow Buntings)
- GenusPlectrophenax (Snow and McKay's Buntings)
- SpeciesPlectrophenax nivalis (Snow Bunting)
About the Snow Bunting
The snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) is a passerine bird in the family Calcariidae. It is an Arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere. There are small isolated populations on a few high mountain tops south of the Arctic region, including the Cairngorms in central Scotland and the Saint Elias Mountains on the southern Alaska-Yukon border, as well as the Cape Breton Highlands. The snow bunting is the most northerly recorded passerine in the world.
The snow bunting was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the buntings in the genus Emberiza and coined the binomial name Emberiza nivalis. He specified the locality as Lapland. It is now placed in the genus Plectrophenax, described in 1882 by the Norwegian born zoologist Leonhard Stejneger with the snow bunting as the type species. The genus name Plectrophenax is from Ancient Greek plektron, "cock's spur", and phenax "imposter", and the specific nivalis is Latin for "snow-white".
The snow bunting was formerly classified in the family Emberizidae, which included American sparrows... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Snow Bunting in Vatnajokull National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Vatnajokull National Park
Redwing
Turdus iliacus
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammea
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensis
White Wagtail
Motacilla alba
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Goldcrest
Regulus regulus
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytes
Eurasian Blackbird
Turdus merula
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornix
Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Thingvellir National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 7 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 11 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 14 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 16 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 17 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 18 | Wood Buffalo National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 19 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 21 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 22 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 23 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Snow Bunting in Vatnajokull National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Snow Bunting sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 969 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Snow Bunting in Vatnajokull National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Snow Bunting in Vatnajokull National Park in our monthly data.