Photo by Alok Tewari
Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, Dec-2017
- Anthus similis
Includes: Bannerman's Pipit
Identification
17–20 cm
- Sandy grey upperparts
- Whitish or pale buff underparts
- Streaked breast
Similar Species
Similar to the African Pipit, but has a heavier build, less-clearly marked face and under parts, a buffy outer tail, and usually a longer bill. Best identified by the display and call.
Distribution
Northern Africa: occurs only in Egypt
Western Africa: Senegambia, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zaire
Eastern Africa: Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Middle East: Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan
Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iran, Asia: Afghanistan, Nepal
South Asia: Pakistan, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Bangladesh, Bhutan
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar
Taxonomy
Nicholson's Pipit was recently split from this species.
Subspecies
This species has 15 subspecies[1]:
- A. s. bannermani: Mountains of south-western Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, northern Liberia to western Cameroon
- A. s. captus: Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestine and western Jordan
- A. s. arabicus: South-western, southern and south-eastern Arabian Peninsula
- A. s. sokotrae: Socotra Island
- A. s. chyuluensis: Kenya and northern Tanzania
- A. s. asbenaicus: Southern Sahara in central and eastern Mali and central Niger
- A. s. jebelmarrae: Mountains of western and central Sudan
- A. s. nivescens: Mountains of south-eastern Egypt; coastal Red Sea in north-eastern Sudan to northern Kenya
- A. s. hararensis: highlands of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, and northern Tanzania
- A. s. dewittei: Highlands of eastern DRC, south-western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Angola
- A. s. decaptus: Southern Iran to western Pakistan; winters to north-western India
- A. s. jerdoni: Mountains of eastern Afghanistan to western Nepal; winters to north-central India, Bangladesh
- A. s. similis: Peninsular India (Bombay to Karnataka and western Tamil Nadu)
- A. s. travancoriensis: South-western India
- A. s. yamethini: Central Myanmar
Subspecies bannermani from western Africa is sometimes split as Anthus bannermani, Bannerman's Pipit.
Habitat
Rough stony hillsides with sparse vegetation.
Behaviour
Breeding
Ground nesters; the clutch consists of 2-4 eggs.
Diet
Their diet includes insects such as grasshoppers, crickets and beetles; seeds and grit.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved March 2015)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Long-billed Pipit. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Long-billed_Pipit
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
