JUKEMA J & FOKKEMA J (1992) Origin of Snow Buntings Plectrophenax nivalis wintering in The Netherlands. LIMOSA 65 (2): 67-72.

Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis This paper deals with the origins of Snow Buntings Plectrophenax nivalis wintering in The Netherlands. Two subspecies, Pn.insulae and Pn.nivalis, are involved, since the other two subspecies are not known to occur in The Netherlands. In order to distinguish insulae and nivalis, a method based on plumage features was developed and checked on museum skins, the origin and therefore the subspecies of which was known. The method proved to be useful. Applying the method to museum skins of birds collected when wintering in The Netherlands, we found that 64% of these Snow Buntings belong to the subspecies insulae and thus 36% to nivalis. Of 122 Snow Buntings trapped along the Dutch Waddensea coast near Oosterbierum (Friesland) in winter 1989/90, 63% belong to insulae and thus 37% to nivalis. Snow Buntings belonging to insulae mainly originate from Iceland. We suppose that birds of the subspecies nivalis mainly originate from SE-Greenland, although Scandinavia can not be ruled out as a possible area of origin.

[free pdf] [dutch summary]