Snow bunting
Once in awhile a snow bunting (plectrophenax nivalis) shows up on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and recently was one of those times. The Outer Banks is on the very edge of the snow bunting's migratory limit. Their breeding ground is way up north in the high arctic. The pictured bird had been eating the seed portion of grass. Seeds, spiders and insects make up the majority of the snow bunting's diet.
