Buff-bellied pipit
Buff-bellied pipit | |
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Nominate subspecies in Oregon, USA | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Motacillidae |
Genus: | Anthus |
Species: | A. rubescens
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Binomial name | |
Anthus rubescens (Tunstall, 1771)
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Synonyms | |
Anthus pensilvanicus |
The buff-bellied pipit or American pipit (Anthus rubescens) is a small
Description
Like most other pipits, the buff-bellied pipit is an undistinguished-looking species which usually can be seen to run around on the ground. The rubescens subspecies (or American pipit) 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 japonicus subspecies (or Japanese pipit) is darker above and has bolder black streaking on its whiter underparts; its legs have a reddish hue.[3][4] The call is a squeaky sip.[4]
Measurements:[5]
- Length: 16 cm
- Weight: 22 g
- 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".[6]
Four subspecies are currently recognized belonging to two main groups.
- A. r. rubescens - (Tunstall, 1771), American pipit – breeds in northern Canada east to Greenland and northeast United States, wintering in Central America
- 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. [8]
- A. r. alticola - (Todd, 1935) Breeds in the Rocky Mountains from southern British Columbia to California, wintering in Mexico
- A. r. japonicus - Temminck & Schlegel, 1847, Japanese pipit or Siberian pipit – breeds in most of the eastern Palearctic (including Japan)
This species is closely related to
Behavior
Both
Like its relatives, this species is
Reproduction: from pairing to fledging
The first thing buff-bellied 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 wet meadows, always with a helpful protection, but they are never placed in shrubs or trees.[15][16] The composition of the ideal nest depends on whatever is around the nesting area, but it is usually made of sedge, remains or new fine grass, and sometimes some horse hairs.[16] The final issue buff-bellied pipits have to deal with is nest success. The nest is indeed the target for numerous predators such as ants or hawks. If this step is successful, an egg can be produced.[16] The female will not lay an egg if the conditions, such as temperature and nesting site, are not optimal. If the first attempt fails, her time to lay an egg is reduced. In general, buff-bellied pipits continuously lay eggs over a period of 4 to 5 days after snow-melt (in April–May) until mid-July. After this period, the male testes decrease in size and the female refuses any copulation.[17] The clutch size is usually 5 eggs but it can vary according to snowfalls, the parents' reproductive ability and predation.[15] Eggs are incubated for 13–14 days.[17][18] During this time, the female does not leave the nest, but is still very reactive to any movement around her. She communicates by singing to the male that brings her food and defends their territory. Four or five days after hatching, the young is skinny, blue-gray in color, and only has its secondary feathers. For a week, the female will brood the clutch, but both parents will feed them. After these 7 days, the birds are ready for fledging but they will still be fed by their parents for 14 days after their departure. Finally, immature birds will form little flocks with other immature birds and wander off.[16][18]
Status
It is a widespread and common species and not considered threatened by the
References
- ^ . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Tunstall, Marmaduke (1771): Ornithologia Britannica: seu Avium omnium Britannicarum tam terrestrium, quam aquaticarum catalogus, sermone Latino, Anglico et Gallico redditus. J. Dixwell. London. [in Latin]
- ^ Alula. 2 (4): 161–175.
- ^ ISBN 0-00-219728-6
- ^ "BTO BirdFacts | Buff-bellied Pipit". app.bto.org. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- JSTOR 1369173.
- ^ Lee, Cin-Ty. "Siberian (A. r. japonicus) versus American Pipits (A. r. rubescens, pacificus, alticola) in basic plumage". www.surfbirds.com. Archived from the original on 2003-01-28. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
- ^ Nazarenko, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich (1978). "О видовой самостоятельности голоценового конька – Anthus rubescens (Tunstall) Aves, Motacillidae" [On species validity of Anthus rubescens (Tunstall) Aves: Motacillidae]. Biulleten Moskovskogo Obshchestva Ispytatelei Prirody. Otdel Biologicheskii (in Russian). 57 (11): 1743–1744.
- ^ Leonovich, V.V.; Deminia, G.V. & Veprintseva, O.D. (1997). "On the taxonomy and phylogeny of pipits (Genus Anthus, Motacillidae, Aves) in Eurasia". Biulleten Moskovskogo Obshchestva Ispytatelei Prirody. Otdel Biologicheskii. 102 (2): 14–22.
- Wilson Bull.18 (2): 47–60.
- .
- ^ Ohio Ornithological Society (2004): Annotated Ohio state checklist Archived 2004-07-18 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "American Pipit". Audubon. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ S2CID 82117791.
- ^ JSTOR 4080059.
- ^ S2CID 86922377.
- ^ a b Verbeek, N. A. and P. Hendricks. (1994). American Pipit (Anthus rubescens), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
External links
- American pipit – Anthus rubescens – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- American pipit Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- "Buff-bellied pipit videos media". Internet Bird Collection.
- American pipit photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Interactive range map of Anthus rubescens at IUCN Red List maps