Olive-backed Pipit - BirdForum Opus

Photo by jaray
Huy Nam Dang National Park, Thailand

Anthus hodgsoni

Identification

15cm

• Upperparts greenish brown streaked with darker brown
• Bold white supercilium
• White double wingbar and outer rectrices
• Underparts white to buff streaked with dark brown on breast and flanks
  

Sexes similar.

Distribution

Widespread throughout Asia and the northeast of Russia.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• A. h. yunnanensis:

• North-eastern Eurasia; winters in India, Myanmar, Philippines and Borneo

• A. h. hodgsoni (berezowskii):

• Himalayas to China and Japan; winters in south-eastern Asia

A third subspecies, berezowskii is not recognised by all authorities^[2]

Habitat

Open woodland and orchards, gardens, grasslands, wetlands and town parks.

Behaviour

Diet

Diet includes insects, grass and weed seeds.

Breeding

It builds a cupshaped nest of moss and grass placed on the ground under a tuft of grass or boulder. The 3-5 eggs are dark brown, spotted darker. Usually two broods are raised.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Olive-backed Pipit. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Olive-backed_Pipit

External Links

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