Snow buntings inhabit high mountain locations with bare rock and sparse vegetation cover. They breed amongst boulder fields, snow patches and tundra mainly in the high Arctic regions. Thus, their habitat preferences are very similar to those of ptarmigan. Depending on the subspecies, they winter in North America, Northern Russia, Northern Europe or Asia. Scotland represents one of the most southerly breeding populations of the species.

The snow bunting’s scientific name gives an interesting insight into their appearance and relationship to another arctic bird species. To explain, two ancient Greek words make up the genus name Plectrophenax. Firstly, ‘plektron’ meaning a cockerel’s spur (a long, pointed hind claw). And secondly, ‘phenax’ meaning imposter. Thus, their long hind toe and habits resemble those of birds called longspurs, to which they are indeed closely related. Their species name nivalis is Latin, meaning ‘white as snow’.

Winter plumage

Snow buntings winter plumage is streaky chestnut-brown on the head and back, merging with pale face and underparts. The wingtips are dark in all plumages, but the the inner parts (secondaries) are dark with white patches. The tail is white with a contrasting dark centre and the bill is pale yellow with a dark tip. Furthermore, their highly insulating plumage even extends down the upper parts of their legs, which is unusual amongst passerines.

Their Gaelic name is Gealag-an-t-sneachda, which translates roughly as ‘white one of the snow’.

During winter, many snow buntings migrate south from Iceland into northern Britain. A proportion of these birds continue south to winter along coastlines in England, Belgium and the Netherlands. The majority of Britain’s snow buntings appear along Scottish coasts and islands, especially in the far north. If you are birdwatching near Aviemore and in the northern Cairngorms, then keep an eye out for this species at the Cairn Gorm and Lecht ski areas during the winter. A very few stay and breed on high summits in the Cairngorms and Lochaber, which makes them one of the rarest breeding Scottish birds.

⚠️ This species is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. It is illegal to disturb them at any time.

Spring migration occurs between mid February and May, often with males leaving first. They head north and nest above about 900m, beginning in mid-May, with 2-6 eggs laid in late May to early June. The eggs are blue in colour with brown spots.

Males have been observed travelling up to 1km in search of food, which they bring back to the incubating female. This behaviour is thought to improve hatching success by allowing the female to incubate the eggs uninterrupted and therefore maintain a more consistent egg temperature. Snow buntings are often double-brooded (ie: lay a second clutch of eggs later in the summer). This helps them maximise their breeding success when faced with highly unpredictable weather.

Birds arrive in Scotland from the north from about mid September through to November, sometimes in very large numbers. Those that have summered in, for example, the Cairngorms move to lower altitudes during November and December.