Pipits
Pipits is a genus of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. The genus has more than 3 dozen species. Along with the wagtails and longclaws, the pipits make up the family Motacillidae.
They are slender, often drab, ground feeding insectivores of open country. Pipits are ground nesters, laying up to six speckled eggs.
Species
- Golden PipitTmetothylacus tennelus: Belongs to a distinct, monotypic genus (a genus consisting of only one species). The Golden Pipit is a very distinctive pipit of bushed grassland in dry country. The adult male, unlike most pipits, is very easy to identify. It is yellow below and yellow in the wings. From the front the yellow throat and breast with the dark band does resemble the Yellow-throated Longclaw or Pangani Longclaw but neither have yellow wings (very obvious in flight) and both have a black line in the face. The female Golden Pipit is a fairly typical brown pipit but has a yellow underside to the wing.
- Richard's Pipit Anthus richardi
- Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus
- Grassveld or African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus
- Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
- Plain Pipit Anthus leucophrys : The Plain Pipit is a medium-sized passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It is found in open habitats, especially short grassland and cultivation. It builds its cup-shaped nest on the ground and usually lays three eggs. Like other pipits, this species is insectivorous. The Plain Pipit is a large pipit at 17cm, but is otherwise an undistinguished looking species, faintly streaked grey-brown above and pale below with light breast streaking. It has a strong white supercilium (line above eye), and dark moustachial stripes. It has long legs and tail, and a long dark bill. Sexes are similar, but juveniles have warmer brown upperparts. Some care must be taken to distinguish this species from wintering Tawny Pipits, Anthus campestris. The Plain Pipit is sturdier and darker than the Tawny, and stands more upright. Perhaps the best distinction is the characteristic "ssissik" call, quite different from the Tawny Pipit's "tchilip".
- Sandy Pipit Anthus vaalensis: Found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
- Long-clawed Pipit Anthus pallidiventris : Found in Angola, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
- Malindi Pipit Anthus melindae : Found in Kenya and Somalia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Kimberley Pipit Anthus pseudosimilis : The Kimberly Pipit is a small bird found in savanna grasslands in South Africa and Namibia. This recently described [1] pipit is 18 cms long and weighs around 32 gms. Its plumage is mainly brown. The Kimberley Pipit bird forages for insect food on the ground. It is monogamous. The female lays 2 to 3 blue eggs.
- Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris : The Tawny Pipit is a medium-large passerine bird which breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia, and northwest Africa. It is a migrant moving in winter to tropical Africa and the Indian subcontinent. This is a large pipit, 16.5-18 cm long, but is an undistinguished looking species on the ground, mainly sandy brown above and pale below. It is very similar to Richard's Pipit, but is slightly smaller, has shorter legs and a shorter dark bill. It is also less streaked. Its flight is strong and direct, and it gives a characteristic "schip" call, higher pitched than Richard's. In south Asia, in winter some care must be taken to distinguish this from other large pipits which winter or are resident in the area, including Richard's Pipit, Blyth's Pipit and Paddyfield Pipit. Tawny Pipit is insectivorous, like its relatives. The breeding habit is dry open country including semi-deserts. The nest is on the ground, with 4-6 eggs being laid.
- Blyth's Pipit Anthus godlewskii : The Blyth's Pipit is a medium-sized passerine bird which breeds in Mongolia and neighbouring areas. It is a long distance migrant moving to open lowlands in southern Asia. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. This is a large pipit, but is an undistinguished looking species on the ground, mainly brown above and pale below. It is very similar to Richard's Pipit, but is slightly smaller, shorter legs and a shorter dark bill. Its flight is strong and direct, and it gives a characteristic "pshee" call, higher pitched than Richard's. In south Asia, in winter some care must be taken to distinguish this from other large pipits which winter or are resident in the area, including Richard's. This species is insectivorous. This bird was named after the English zoologist Edward Blyth.
- Berthelot's Pipit Anthus berthelotii : The Berthelot’s Pipit is a small passerine bird which breeds in Madeira and the Canary Islands. It is a common resident in both archipelagos. Berthelot’s Pipit is found in open country. The nest is on the ground, with 3-5 eggs being laid. This is a small pipit, 13-14.5 cm in length. It is an undistinguished looking species on the ground, mainly grey above and whitish below, with some breast streaking. It has a whitish supercilium (line above eye) and eyering, with dark eye and moustachial stripes. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are browner than adults. This species appears shorter tailed and larger headed than Meadow Pipit. Its call is a "schrip" like Yellow Wagtail, and the song, given in flight, is a chattery "tsivrr tsivrr tsivrr tsivrr". This species is named after the French naturalist Sabin Berthelot, one-time resident of the Canary Islands, by Carl Bolle.
- Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis : The Long-billed Pipit or Brown Rock Pipit is a passerine bird which breeds in much of Africa, through the Arabian peninsula and South Asia. Most birds are residents or short distance migrants. The Long-billed Pipit’s breeding habitat is dry open slopes with rocks and low vegetation. The nest is on the ground, with 2-4 eggs being laid. This is a medium-large pipit, 16-17.5 cm long, but is an undistinguished looking species on the ground, mainly sandy grey above and whitish or pale buff below. It is very similar to the Tawny Pipit, but is slightly larger, has a longer tail and a longer dark bill. The Long-billed Pipit’s flight is strong and direct, and it gives a characteristic chupp call, similar to Desert Lark. Its song is like that of the Tawny Pipit, but slower and more varied, sri...churr...sri...churr…sri..churr. Like its relatives, Long-billed Pipit eats seeds and insects. The Woodland Pipit (Anthus nyassae), an inhabitant of miombo woodland in south-central Africa, was formerly treated as a subspecies of this bird but is now usually regarded as a separate species. Some authorities also split Bannerman's Pipit (Anthus (similis) bannermani), a bird of mountain grassland in West Africa.
- Short-tailed Pipit Anthus brachyurus : Found in Angola, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
- Little Pipit Anthus caffer : Found in Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and dry savanna.
- Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis
- Nilgiri Pipit Anthus nilghiriensis
- Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
- Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi : The Pechora Pipit is a small passerine bird which breeds in the tundra of the far north of Asia from Russia eastwards. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to Indonesia. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe in September and October. This is a small pipit, which resembles non-breeding Red-throated Pipit. This is an undistinguished looking species, heavily streaked brown above, with whitish mantle stripes, and with black markings on a white belly and buff breast below. It can be distinguished from Red-throated by its heavier bill, whiter mantle stripes, and contrast between its buff breast and white belly. This is a species which creeps mouse-like in long grass, and is reluctant to fly even when disturbed. Its call is a distinctive electrical zip. Although the call is generally helpful when identifying pipits, this species calls far less than most. This, combine with its skulking habits, makes this a difficult species to find and identify away from its breeding grounds in the Arctic. Probably the best place in western Europe to see this rarity is Fair Isle, Shetland. The lack of cover on this small island makes skulking passerines easier to find. The breeding habitat is damp tundra, open forest or marshland. The nest is on the ground, with 4-5 eggs being laid. This species is insectivorous, like its relatives.
- Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis
- Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus
- Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus : Found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, South Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta
- Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus
- Buff-bellied Pipit or American Pipit Anthus rubescens
- Upland Pipit Anthus sylvanus : Found in Afghanistan, China, Hong Kong, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
- Sprague's Pipit Anthus spragueii
- Short-billed Pipit Anthus furcatus : Found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
- Hellmayr's Pipit Anthus hellmayri : Found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and pastureland.
- Yellowish Pipit Anthus lutescens : Found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and pastureland.
- Chaco Pipit Anthus chacoensis : Found in Argentina and Paraguay. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland.
- Correndera Pipit Anthus correndera : Found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and pastureland
- Ochre-breasted Pipit Anthus nattereri : Found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and plantations . It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Paramo Pipit Anthus bogotensis : Found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland and pastureland.
- South Georgia Pipit Anthus antarcticus : The South Georgia Pipit is a sparrow sized bird, only found on the South Georgia archipelago. It is the Antarctic's only song bird, and South Georgia's only passerine, and one of the few non-seabirds of the region. It builds nests from dried grass, and lays four eggs a year. It lives off insects and spiders, and beach debris. It has been threatened by human introductions to the islands such as rats and cats, and also by environmental damage caused by humans themselves.
- New Guinea Pipit or Alpine Pipit Anthus gutturalis : Found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
- Sokoke Pipit Anthus sokokensis : Found in Kenya and Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat
- Yellow-tufted Pipit Anthus crenatus : Found in Lesotho and South Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
- Striped Pipit Anthus lineiventris : Found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is dry savanna.
- Yellow-breasted Pipit Anthus chloris : Found in Lesotho and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, arable land, and pastureland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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