Chestnut-collared Longspur
We are currently working to build a genoscape for the Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus), an iconic bird endemic to North America’s grasslands. This species, along with the Grasshopper Sparrow and Baird’s Sparrow, are our first three grassland species part of a grassland bird initiative in collaboration with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and generously funded by the Knobloch Family Foundation.
Grassland birds are one of the fastest declining groups of birds in North America. The Chestnut-collared Longspur has been listed under the Red Alert category by the Road to Recovery Initiative on their Tipping Point Species list. Tipping point species require immediate scientific action to understand their population declines and develop conservation strategies. Red listed species, such as the Chestnut-collared Longspur, have a low effective population size that is rapidly declining or an unknown population trend in general. In Canada, the Chestnut-collared Longspur is listed as a Species At Risk.
If you are interested in collecting or donating Chestnut-collared Longspur samples from any location across its range, particularly during the breeding and wintering seasons, please contact Amanda Carpenter to learn more!