Crossword clues for longspur
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Longspur \Long"spur`\, n. [So called from the length of the hind claw.] (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several species of fringilline birds of the genus Calcarius (or Plectrophanes), and allied genera. The Lapland longspur ( Calcarius Lapponicus), the chestnut-colored longspur ( Calcarius ornatus), and other species, inhabit the United States.
Wiktionary
n. A specific type of bird, of the genus ''Calcarius''; it has a long claw on the hind toe of each foot.
Wikipedia
The longspurs, genus Calcarius, are a group of birds in the family Calcariidae. The name refers to the long claw on the hind toe of each foot. The genus formerly included the McCown's longspur, Rhyncophanes mccownii, which is now placed in a separate genus.
These are chunky ground-feeding birds with long wings which are usually seen in open areas. Males declare ownership of a territory by singing during short flights over it. The male's breeding plumage is much brighter than his winter plumage. These birds gather in large flocks in winter. The longspurs are all found in North America; the Lapland longspur, or Lapland bunting, is also found in Europe and Asia.
The full list of species is:
- Lapland longspur, or Lapland bunting, Calcarius lapponicus
- Smith's longspur, Calcarius pictus
- Chestnut-collared longspur, Calcarius ornatus
Usage examples of "longspur".
As she approached a longspur, it sat as still as a stone on its nest of woven grass, watching her with black eyes.
When the longspur opened its wings and flew off toward the northeast, she smiled and knew that it would be seeking its own kind.
He was not sure when the little longspur alighted on his head and, shivering, sought warmth by burrowing deep into the long, silken guard hairs of his ruff.
When it raised its trunk and beckoned, the longspur took wing and flew ahead.
Amaroq watched a large cloud of Lapland longspurs wheel up into the sky, then alight in the grasses.
Her black eyes were alert as several Lapland longspurs darted overhead.
The jaegers circled, the longspurs tumbled on their wings, and at last Silver came home.
The buntings, longspurs, and terns were gone from the top of the world.
But snow buntings and longspurs were making their nests of discarded mammoth wool.
That's more than enough for the tournament in Pine Bluff, and we may be able to go to the one in Longspur, Texas, too.