African Pipit
Anthus cinnamomeus
The default pipit across much of Africa. Brown above and pale below, with a streaked back, well-marked face, and white outer tail feathers. There is considerable geographic variation, from pale and sandy to rich brown and rufous. Found in a variety of open and usually grassy habitats, both near water and in dry areas. Call is a sneezing “tzsht”. Song comprises consecutive series of rattles, given in flight. Very similar to other pipits; some of the key features to look for include the yellow base of the bill, streaked back, and white outer tail feathers.
Identification
The African pipit is 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) long and is a slender bird with an erect stance. It is buffy-brown above with darker streaks. The underparts are white or pale buff with a streaked breast and plain belly and flanks. The face is boldly patterned with a pale stripe over the eye and a dark malar stripe. The outer tail-feathers are white. The legs are long and pinkish and the slender bill is dark with a yellowish base to the lower mandible. Juvenile birds have a blotched breast, scalloping on the upperparts and some streaking on the flanks.<p>The song is a repeated series of twittering notes, given during an undulating song-flight or from a low perch.<p>The Cameroon pipit is slightly larger and darker with buff underparts.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Anthus cinnamomeus
- Authority
- Rüppell, 1840
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Motacillidae
- Genus
- Anthus
Range and habitat
It occurs in grassland and fields in Southern, Central and East Africa, south-east of a line from Angola through the DRCongo to Sudan. It is also found in south-western Arabia. There is an isolated population in the highlands of Cameroon which is sometimes considered to be a separate species: Cameroon pipit (Anthus camaroonensis).
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
Zimmerman, Turner, and Pearson (1999) call it "the common East African pipit", but BirdLife International has lumped the African pipit with Richard's pipit, and therefore has given it no separate conservation status.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Tasmanian Nativehen
Tribonyx mortierii
Large flightless waterhen endemic to Tasmania. Has a yellow-green bill and a white thigh patch. Typically occurs on grasslands near wetland, but has also become common on farmland.
Sapphire-spangled Emerald
Chionomesa lactea
A commonly encountered small hummingbird with a glittering green back, violet-blue throat and breast, green flanks, and a white stripe down the breast. The bill is slightly curved. Found in open and semiopen habitats such as forest edges, savanna, woodland, parks and plantations.
Broad-billed Prion
Pachyptila vittata
The largest of the six prion species, with an exceptionally wide bill that gives the head a chunky appearance. Occurs in dispersed flocks at sea, where it catches prey items either sitting on the water or skimming the surface for zooplankton. Can be seen around breeding colonies on the Chatham Islands, in southern New Zealand, and in the South Atlantic Ocean. The wide bill distinguishes this species from other prions apart from Salvin’s and MacGillivray's, which are smaller in overall size and have a narrower bill than the Broad-billed Prion. However this can be hard to see at sea, and identification of prions is often impossible without a good view or photograph.
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