Habitat selection by Snow Buntings Plectrophenax nivalis feeding nestlings, and their use of snow patches, in an edge-of-range population

Snow Buntings provisioning their nestlings in the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland flew up to 520 m to forage in localized habitats. Invertebrates on snow patch margins in two habitats were exploited, but those trapped on the snow surface were not. The birds' use of habitats on snow margins was probably related to weather conditions. There was little evidence of specialization in food resources available on snow patches.