Pinicola enucleator leucura, P. e. montana Status: Rare casual winter visitor statewide. Documentation: Specimens: montana, UNSM ZM10416, 30 Nov 1910 Crawford, Dawes Co; leucura, UNSM ZM7127, 29 Nov 1932 Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: Eight subspecies are recognized (Young and Adkisson 2020, AviList 2025), five in North America: flammula, breeding from southern Alaska to British Columbia, wintering […]
RED CROSSBILL
Loxia curvirostra Status: Rare regular breeder west and north, rare casual elsewhere. Common regular spring, summer, fall, and winter visitor west, uncommon elsewhere. Documentation: Specimen: benti UNSM ZM7187, winter 1886 Fairbury, Jefferson Co. Call Type Recordings: Type 2 Ponderosa Pine Red Crossbill, 26 Aug 2015 Chadron SP, Dawes Co (LeFever 2015); Type 3 Western Hemlock […]
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL
Loxia leucoptera leucoptera Status: Uncommon casual winter visitor statewide. Rare casual summer visitor. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM7187, winter 1886 Fairbury, Jefferson Co. Taxonomy: Two subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025), bifasciata of Eurasia, and leucoptera breeding across Canada, northern USA and northern Rocky Mountains. Nebraska birds are leucoptera. AviList (2025) refers to this species by its proposed […]
CASSIN’S FINCH
Haemorhous cassinii Status: Rare regular but erratic winter visitor Panhandle, rare casual west central. Accidental breeder northwest. Documentation: UNSM ZM10486, 7 Dec 1910 Crawford, Dawes Co (Mickel and Dawson 1920). This specimen and UNSM ZM10487, both Cassin’s Finches, are labelled Purple Finch, possibly inadvertently by the collector. Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025). Pyle […]
HOUSE FINCH
Haemorhous mexicanus frontalis Status: Common regular resident statewide. Documentation: Specimen: HMM 2425, 29 Jan 1916 Haigler, Dundy Co. Taxonomy: This species, along with Purple Finch and Cassin’s Finch, were recently assigned (Chesser et al 2012) to their own genus (Haemorhous, from Carpodacus) based on a study by Zuccon et al (2012). Eleven subspecies are recognized […]
CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR
Calcarius ornatus Status: Fairly common regular spring and fall migrant west, uncommon central, rare east. Fairly common regular breeder west, locally uncommon north central. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM7614, 20 Mar 1900 Mullen, Hooker Co. Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025). Spring: Apr 3, 3, 3 <<<>>> May 6, 6, 7 Earlier dates are 6 […]