GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist and her five parrots are currently relocating to Germany, where she will continue writing her blog while also writing a book and learning German. (Meanwhile, her parrots will continue to nibble on her extensive personal library.) If you appreciate GrrlScientist's writing, you can help pay her living expenses by hiring her to "blog" your conference, speak at your club or write articles for your publication (or by clicking on the Paypal button below). If you read an essay on this blog that you especially enjoyed, please nominate it for inclusion in 
tags: Snow Bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Snow Bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, photographed near Cameran Lake Road, Okanogan County, Washington State. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Marv Breece, 26 November 2008 [larger view].
Canon EOS 350D 1/800s f/8.0 at 300.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Now here's a Christmas cookie of a bird, all white sugar and maple frosting! If we can turn for a moment from that sweet face, we see a largely white tail and a notably long primary extension. Long primary extensions are an indication of a well-developed migratory habit: sedentary birds have stubby wings. So we know that this is a whitish bird that flies a long distance between its breeding grounds and the winter range.
The black, rust, and extensive white of the wing really leaves us no choice: this is a Plectrophenax bunting. Washington state is one of the few places in the world where it's worth considering McKay's Bunting, a mostly undetected few of which probably stray each winter to the coasts of Washington and British Columbia. The brown back of this bird should rule that rare species out, however, leaving us with Snow Bunting. The lovely mix of black, white, and bright buff fits that charming field bird well, as does the "smiling" yellow bill.
Much of our mystery bird's wing is covered by the fluffed scapulars, a good strategy on a cold day; but I believe that we can see white greater coverts and a primary covert that has just a small triangular black tip. The apparently unstreaked crown also supports the identification of this as an adult male.
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I would say that looks an awful lot like an American tree sparrow that I see in my back yard at this time of year. However, being that its on the other side of the Country, I cannot be sure.
Posted by: Mr. Mom | December 14, 2008 10:33 AM
Snow Bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, in winter plumage. The main difference with McKay's Bunting is the large amount of brown in tertials and lesser wing-coverts, that in McKay's are whiter.
Also a more easy way of telling this bird apart is that McKay's Bunting only occurs in Alaska and the Aleutians.
Posted by: TEO | December 14, 2008 10:42 AM
Snow Bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, in winter plumage. The main difference with McKay's Bunting is the large amount of brown in tertials and lesser wing-coverts, that in McKay's are whiter.
An easier way of telling this bird apart is that McKay's Bunting occurs only in Alaska and the Aleutians. The Snow Bunting has an extensive distribution in northern North America, including Washington.
Posted by: TEO | December 14, 2008 11:12 AM
mostly Snow Bunting female, first year, with what looks like some McKay's features (more white in the head)
Posted by: travelgirl | December 14, 2008 2:15 PM
Wow. I looked at that and said "Bunting" and could not even begin to say why. I must've seen a really good picture of it somewhere before.
Posted by: The Ridger | December 14, 2008 3:21 PM
I propose renaming this bunting the "American Christmas-Bird". It arrives just in time and looks the part.
Happy Holidays
Bob
Posted by: bobk | December 14, 2008 6:46 PM
We have many large flocks of these in rural North Dakota. It's said they will burrow into the snow, which they must be doing tonight. There's a raging blizzard here, -13 F. with blowing snow and 20 to 40 mile per hour winds, an awful storm.
The white back contrasting with dark wings makes this bird easy to identify from a distance. The white-edged black primaries are really pretty. You can just see the dark forehead. A male winter plumage Snow Bunting. I must go for a drive Tuesday, I'll be seeing thousands of them. Lapland Longspurs mixed in with these flocks? I'm not certain, but I think so.
Posted by: kamaka | December 14, 2008 8:45 PM