snow bunting

American  

noun

1. a bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, of the northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere having white plumage.

---

snow bunting British  

noun

1. a bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, of northern and arctic regions, having a white plumage with dark markings on the wings, back, and tail

---

Etymology

Origin of snow bunting

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

The result teemed with surprises: A snow bunting perched on the rig and sang.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2023

Scotland is home to Arctic specialists - birds like dotterel, snow bunting and ptarmigan - which are found high on Scotland's mountains.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2022

Among those difficult to find were the horned lark, snow bunting and Lapland longspur.

From Washington Times • Jan. 2, 2021

Which meant that instead of putting socks away in drawers, I had spent the hour tacking up vintage maps of Greenwich Village, photos of Washington Square Park in the snow, bunting made from mini-British flags.

From Time • Mar. 26, 2015

The chirp of the snow bunting and the buzz of bees gave the first joyous rebound of the short Arctic summer.

From My Attainment of the Pole by Cook, Frederick A.