A small bird that breeds among Arctic rocks and forms flocks in open places in North America during winter. It searches the ground for seeds and insects.
Breeding males have a mostly white body and black back; breeding females have a streaked dark back and white underparts. Outside the breeding season, both sexes show rusty areas on the head or shoulders.
It walks or runs on the ground to find seeds and insects. In winter, flocks repeatedly take flight and move between feeding places.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.