The American pipit ( Anthus rubescens), formerly known as the buff-bellied pipit, is a small songbird native to North America. It was first described by Marmaduke Tunstall in his 1771 Ornithologia Britannica.[ It was formerly classified as a form of the water pipit. The former subspecies, Siberian pipit, is now considered a distinct species.
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Description
Like most other , the American pipit is an undistinguished-looking species which usually can be seen to run around on the ground. It has lightly streaked grey-brown upperparts and is diffusely streaked below on the buff breast and flanks. The belly is whitish, the bill and legs are dark. The related Siberian pipit is darker above and has bolder black streaking on its whiter underparts; its legs have a reddish hue.[ The call is a squeaky sip.][
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Measurements:
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Length: 16 cm
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Weight: 22 g
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Wingspan: 24 cm
Taxonomy
The scientific name is from Latin. Anthus is the name for a small bird of grasslands, and the specific rubescens means "reddish", from
ruber, "ruddy".
Three subspecies are currently recognized:
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A. r. rubescens - (Tunstall, 1771), – breeds in northern Canada east to Greenland and northeast United States, wintering in Central America
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A. r. pacificus - (Todd, 1935) Breeds in Pacific Cordillera from Alaska to Oregon, wintering in western Mexico. Birds breeding in south Alaska have sometimes been recognized as a distinct subspecies A. r. geophilus.
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A. r. alticola - (Todd, 1935) Breeds in the Rocky Mountains from southern British Columbia to California, wintering in Mexico
This species is closely related to European rock pipit ( A. petrosus) and water pipit ( A. spinoletta), all three forms having previously been considered conspecific. They can be differentiated by their vocalizations and some visual cues, but rock and American pipit are not found except as vagrant individuals.[
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Behavior
All subspecies of the American pipit are bird migration. The American pipit winters on the Pacific coast of North America, and on the Atlantic coast from the southern North America to Central America.[
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Like its relatives, this species is insectivorous.[
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Reproduction: from pairing to fledging
The first thing American pipits do when they arrive on the breeding site, during snowmelt, is pairing. Indeed, males will start to fight one on one to win over the female and pair with it during the entire breeding season. They also fight for the snow-free sites that would be better for nesting. The moment is also very important because the melting snow implies an increase in arthropods abundance, which constitute the main food source for these birds. After the fight and the pairing, nesting is the next step. Nests are most often found on the ground in dry or , always with a helpful protection, but they are never placed in shrubs or trees.
Status
It is a widespread and common species and not considered threatened by the IUCN.
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