Pipit

Pipit, common name for more than 40 species of small passerine (perching) birds. These songbirds, of the wagtail family, are found throughout most of the world. All are brownish in colour, more or less streaked with black, often with white outer tail feathers and long hind claws. They resemble many larks in colour and in habits, being chiefly birds of open grasslands or rocky areas, and often singing while in flight. Pipits build their nests in hollows on the ground, using mostly grass and some moss, sometimes lining the nest with hair; they lay from three to seven eggs in a clutch.

There are many Eurasian pipits, including the tree pipit, which occurs in temperate and northern latitudes. It has a spotted buff breast, flushed with yellow, with white flanks. It occasionally wanders as far as Alaska, but migrates to Africa in the winter. The meadow pipit and red-throated pipit are similar in size—about 14.5 cm (6 in) long—and similar in appearance, except for the red-throated pipit's rusty-pink throat plumage in summer. The meadow pipit can be seen searching for seeds and insects on open ground throughout Europe, whereas the red-throated pipit's range is in the high latitudes of Asia, Europe, and sometimes North America. It too flies south for the winter. The rock pipit lives along northern European coasts. It is greyer than the meadow pipit and, at 17 cm (7 in), slightly larger.

Only two species are found widely in North America. The American pipit breeds on the Arctic tundra and above the tree line on western mountains, and winters south to northern Central America. It is about 18 cm (7 in) long. The back is olive-brown and the underparts are buff-coloured, variably streaked with black; streaks are often absent in the breeding birds of the Rockies. The outer tail feathers are edged with white. While walking on the ground, this pipit, like many others, constantly bobs its tail. Sprague's pipit, a prairie species, is slightly smaller, at 16 cm (6.5 in) long. It differs from the American pipit in having the back and crown streaked with black, and pale—rather than black—bill and legs. Males fly high in the air in their song display.

Scientific classification: Pipits belong to the family Motacillidae of the order Passeriformes. The meadow pipit is classified as Anthus pratensis, the red-throated pipit as Anthus cervinus, and the rock pipit as Anthus petrosus. The American pipit is classified as Anthus rubescens, and Sprague's pipit as Anthus spragueii.