Buffy Pipit
Anthus vaalensis
Large pipit with buffy outer tail feathers and a plain or very diffusely streaked back. Found in open areas with very short grass and also sometimes in agricultural fields. Bobs its tail more frequently and vigorously than other pipits. Call is a quiet chirp, and the song is an unobtrusive series of similar notes. Extremely similar to Plain-backed Pipit but separated by its pink rather than yellowish base to the bill.
Identification
Its length is 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in), and its weight is 23–36.6 g (0.81–1.29 oz). It is often confused with the plain-backed pipit because both species have plain upperparts. The upperparts of the buffy pipit are paler and buffier than the plain-backed pipit. The buffy pipit has a pale supercilium, and its lower mandible has a pinkish base. It has faint markings on the breast, and the belly and flanks are buffy. The juvenile has mottles.
Taxonomy
This species was described by English naturalist George Ernest Shelley in 1900. The IOC World Bird List recognises five subspecies: A. v. chobiensis in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southwestern Tanzania, northeastern Namibia, northern Botswana, Zimbabwe and western Mozambique; A. v. neumanni in central Angola; A. v. namibicus in northeastern and central Namibia; A. v. exasperatus in northeastern Botswana; and A. v. vaalensis in southern Botswana and South Africa. A. longicaudatus is an invalid taxon and is included in A. vaalensis. Some authors include subspecies saphiroi and goodsoni of the plain-backed pipit (Anthus leucophrys) in this species.
- Scientific name
- Anthus vaalensis
- Authority
- Shelley, 1900
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Motacillidae
- Genus
- Anthus
Range and habitat
The buffy pipit is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with a distribution size estimated at 5,660,000 km2 (2,190,000 sq mi). Its habitat is semi-arid plains with grasses and bare ground. It also occurs in pastures, burnt fields, and edges of saltpans.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
One or two individuals are usually encountered, but flocks may be found in winter. It frequently wags its tail. Its song is a repeated tchreep-churup, and the call sshik is given when the bird is flushed. It eats invertebrates and seeds. Breeding has been recorded from July to February in Zimbabwe and August to December in South Africa. The nest is an open cup built on the ground.
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black Lark
Melanocorypha yeltoniensis
Adult male is coal-black in worn plumage--unique amongst larks; in fresh plumage blackish feathers are edged in pale scaling. Female is duller and less distinctive: streaky gray-brown overall with a paler throat and belly and a stoutly pointed pinkish bill. Found in grassy steppe, particularly in areas interspersed with scattered shrubbery or wet patches; generally does not use agricultural lands, but can be found in association with domesticated livestock in the winter. Forages on the ground and flocks during colder months. Song is a long-winded series of drawn-out whistles, warbles, and chatters. Calls include various buzzy and squeaky notes.
Red-necked Stint
Calidris ruficollis
A very small shorebird of both inland and coastal wetlands and estuaries. Breeding adult has vivid orange head bordered by dark stippling (no dark markings internal to the orange, unlike Little Stint) and bright orange and gold tones in upperwing coverts. Nonbreeding adult gray above, pale below; juvenile similar but richer gray-brown above with neat pale feather edges in upperparts. Flight call a high-pitched, raspy “krreeet.”
Reed Parrotbill
Paradoxornis heudei
Associated closely with the dense reedy vegetation of expansive wetlands, this baby-faced bird has a gray head, smart black eyebrow, and a warm brown body. While possessing the typical stout bill and long tail of most parrotbills, this species also has an exceptionally lanky appearance, unlike most of its stouter, more rotund kin. Gives raspy whistles and trills from the cover of the reeds as it moves through the vegetation in small-to-medium-sized flocks.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.